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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29279238">It’s More Than A Little Secret, It’s A Little Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulless_Fawn/pseuds/Soulless_Fawn'>Soulless_Fawn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>✨Age Regression Fics✨ [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Dream SMP | Minecraft, Minecraft (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Play Caregiver Wilbur Soot, Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Candy, Caregiver, Caregiver Phil Watson, Caregiver Technoblade, Close Calls, Crying, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Cutting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Happy Toby Smith | Tubbo, Healthy Coping Mechanisms, High School, Hugs, Hurt TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, IRL, IRL Fic, Little Space, Little Tommyinnit, Little head space, Lonely TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Sam | Awesamdude, Non Supportive Parents, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifier - Freeform, Phil comforts TommyInnit, Platonic Cuddling, Police, Protective Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Wilbur Soot, Real Life, Scared TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Screaming, Secrets, Self-Harm, Sleepovers, Stimming, Stuffed Toys, Technoblade Has ADHD (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade had enough, Therapy, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit Friendship, TommyInnit Needs a Break (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit is Not Okay (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Tubbo and TommyInnit are best friends, Tuboo helps TommyInnit, Twitch Streaming, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Yelling, angry father, babysitter dream, sucking on a pacifier, supportive parents</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:28:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>44,006</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29279238</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulless_Fawn/pseuds/Soulless_Fawn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy was loud and people described him of being annoying. But even loud people have there bad days. Stress from school, streaming and needing to be perfect is overwhelming Tommy. So he starts to age regress and it helps. </p><p>Now he has to keep it a secret from his friends. As more stress from the real world starts to consume Tommy he begins to buckle under it. Hiding everything from everyone was to much. And he starts to show his true and broken colours.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream &amp; Wilbur Soot &amp; Phil Watson, Clay | Dream &amp; Wilbur Soot &amp; Technoblade &amp; TommyInnit &amp; Phil Watson, Technoblade &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit &amp; Phil Watson, TommyInnit &amp; Dream, TommyInnit &amp; Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit &amp; TommyInnit's Mother (Video Blogging RPF), Tommyinnit &amp; Tubbo, Tubbo &amp; Tommyinnit, Wilbur Soot &amp; Technoblade, Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit &amp; Phil Watson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>✨Age Regression Fics✨ [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2304863</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>348</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2045</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sleepless</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>TW Warning: this will contain self harm. Look at the tags before you read!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tommy sat at his computer. In front of thousands of people. And what was he doing to keep thousands of eyes on him? Pretending to be mad at Technoblade of course. “Shut up you bitch! I can take you on with my hands behind my back!”. Techno scoffed, pulling out his netherite axes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You really think you can beat me in a one on one Tommy?”. The chat was going wild. For some reason they really liked violence. Who knew? “Of course I can!”. Tommy pulled out his sword. The two fought with Tommy not even getting one kill. “Oh come on you have better gear then me.”. Phil stepped in handing Tommy back his loot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ok cool it you two. You're acting like children.”. Tommy smiled at that. Turning his head he saw colouring books waiting for him to be done streaming. No one other than his parents knew he was a little. It helped release pent up emotions he had from college and having a big following.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Don’t get him wrong he loved streaming. But if he messed up once on camera thousands would know. And he can’t have that. So to cool off he went into little space. Sometimes it was controllable but at other times it wasn’t. When he got too stressed he would slip.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“-ommy. Tommy you there?”. He snapped back to reality as he looked at his game. It was Phil calling him. “Ah sorry! MotherInnit called.”. He lied. Half the time people couldn’t hear her when she called on him. So it was a good excuse. Phil just took the lie as they continued to stream. An hour later Tommy ended his stream for the day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chilling in VC2 Phil and Techno talked. He wasn’t really listening. “So that’s why I think we should stream on Friday.”. Tommy looked at discord leaning back in his chair. He put his thumb up to his mouth. Checking once more to make sure his stream was off before putting his thumb in his mouth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If MotherInnit saw him she would have a fit. Always saying to use his pacifier and not his thumb for sanitary reasons. “So Tommy, you want to stream with me and Techno again on Friday?”. Tommy took his thumb out of his mouth. What had they been talking about? “Sure.”. Just agree and find out what you're doing later.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Looking at the time he smiled. “Got to go gang. See you later.”. Both Techno and Phil said their goodbyes before Tommy exited the call. Getting up from his chair Tommy walked over to his bed where his colouring books sat. He was going to have a fun and stress free night.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>It was supposed to be a chill stream. But Tommy was finding it hard to stay big. Dream yelled at him like he was really mad. Was he mad? At Tommy? “It’s why I needed you caged up! You're too messed up to realize that you're the bad guy!”. Dream was locked up in his obsidian cage. Playing his part for Tommy’s stream.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tommy knew deep down that it was an act. Dream was a nice guy! But as he slipped so did his tears. Tommy didn’t realize at first. “If I’m the bad guy then why did everyone throw you in here!”. Perfect line, he nailed it. But then the sniffle came. Looking over at the chat for a few seconds Tommy knew he messed up. The chat was spamming CryBabyInnit. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>But most were worried. Yelling at Dream to cool it even though he couldn’t see Tommy’s chat. Tommy quickly ended the bit and left the prison. Once on his own he turned to his chat with a big smile. Even if it was fake doesn’t mean it wasn’t a smile. “That’s going to be the end of my stream guys! Did you like my acting? The tears might have been too much but I think I pulled it off!”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After saying his goodbyes Tommy ended the stream. Sinking back into his chair more tears fell from his face. He was being stupid. Wasn’t he? Tommy put his thumb in his mouth and curled in on himself. He felt small. It was usually a good thing but right now it wasn’t. He wanted someone to hold him. To say he’s a good kid.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Getting up from his chair Tommy walked over to his bed. Sat at the top of it was a bunny stuffed animal. Taking it in his hands he hugged it close. “Clem...”. He whispered to no one. Climbing into bed he curled up into a ball. Closing his eyes he slowly drifted to sleep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Waking up an hour later his phone was blowing up. He let out a whine as he got up and took his phone from his desk. Turning it on almost blinded the poor boy. He waited a bit for his eyes to adjust to the light. Putting in his password he could see a lot of texts from his friends. Going to Tubbo’s first he started to read.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>—————</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>Twitter is freaking out Tommy. They said you started to cry on stream. I know you said you were acting but I wanted to check for myself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>Tommy it’s been ten minutes you should have seen my text.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>Are you okay?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>Tommy text me back when you can please. Wilbur and Phil are getting worried.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>Tommy it’s been half an hour. Even Dream is worried.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>—————</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>Hey Tommy. I was watching your stream with Dream. Great acting! But are you okay?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>Tubbo said he can’t get a hold on you. Did something happen? Twitter is calling you CryBabyInnit. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>It’s been thirty minutes Tommy and you haven’t answered. Wilbur is getting frantic. I would like it if you at least texted that you were okay. So I can calm him down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>Tommy did something happen? If something did happen I’m here to talk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>—————</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>Tommy Twitter is blowing up with clips of you crying. I wanted to make sure everything was okay.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>Tommy you know me and how I think the worst sometimes. So can you please text me back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>Tubbo said he can’t get a hold of you. Are you alright?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>I’m getting worried. I need you to answer someone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>Were you not acting when talking to Dream? Are you upset with him?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>Tommy respond.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>It’s been over half an hour. Twitter is kinda thinking the worst.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>Okay I’m thinking the worst.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>Tommy?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>—————</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>I saw a Twitter clip of you crying. And no one can get a hold of you. Are you alright?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>Did I make you upset? If so you can tell me. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>At least text Tubbo back. Okay?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>—————</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tommy read through all the texts he got. Holding onto his bunny stuffie he started to freak out. Opening up Twitter he clicked on a video. It was him listening to Dream as tears fell from his face. Tommy cringed at the sight of watching himself cry. He didn’t want to be big. He didn’t want to talk and explain himself to his friends.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But he had to. He had to be a big man and pull up his big boy pants. Putting Clem the bunny down on his bed Tommy opened back up his texts on discord. Breathing in he prepared for what he was going to say. What was going to be believable?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t have much time to think as his phone vibrated. Wilbur was calling him. Without thinking he answered. He had to bring his phone away from his ear as Wilbur was being too loud. “Tommy! Is everything alright? What happened. Why didn’t you text me back!?”. After making sure Wilbur was done Tommy put his phone back up to his ear.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m alwite. FatherInnit needed me to hewp em with something. I was away fwom my phone.”. Tommy internally cursed himself after hearing himself talk. It was normal for him to wake up in little space after sleeping. And so it was hard to try and pull himself away from that. “That’s understandable.”. He could hear Wilbur sigh out of relief.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t seem to pick up on how Tommy talked. Which he was grateful for. “You scared the hell out of me!”. Wilbur chuckled. “You should talk to the others. There worried.”. Tommy listened to Wilbur. He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t pull himself away from the head space he found himself in. “Later.”. He could at least say one word.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Alright. Latter Tommy!”. Tommy hung up hugging his phone close to his chest. His heart was beating rapidly. He frowned hearing another notification. Looking down at the screen he could see Tubbo’s name pop up. He couldn’t trust himself to speak normally. So he clicked to text him instead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>—————</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>It’s been an hour Tommy. I’m really worried. If you don’t answer I’m calling your home phone!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tommy</b>
</p>
<p>Chill Tubbo. I’m not dead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>Holley hell dude you good!?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tommy</b>
</p>
<p>Yep. Just needed to do some work with my dad. You know him, always needing the biggest man in the house to help him out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that’s called chores Tommy. Anyways are you okay?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tommy</b>
</p>
<p>Never better. I have to text the others now. They might think I got kidnapped or something.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tubbo</b>
</p>
<p>Ya go do that! Phil is very worried. Which is kinda scary because he’s so chill. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>—————</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cutting the conversation short Tommy let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He fell onto his bed. Texting the group chat he made sure everyone knew he was okay. The stress bubbled up like a monster. That was way to close. Turning his head he looked at Clem. Those floppy ears and cute face made him smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He picked her up and hugged her close. Tommy put his phone away as he walked over to his closet. Opening it up he took out a bag. Inside were children toys, colouring books and other not noteworthy items. One of which was a red pacifier. Taking it from the bag he shoved it in his mouth. Sucking on it was like he was in heaven.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The stress of the day washed out of him like it was just stupid dirt on his clothes. Sitting down on the floor Tommy continued to suck on his pacifier. He moved Clem around as he just mumbled to himself. After twenty minutes he heard a knock on his door. Turning his head he could see his father peck in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His small smile turned wider. “Dada!”. The word was muffled as he had a pacifier in his mouth. Tommy’s father looked down at his son. “Hello Tommy.”. He began. “Dinners ready. If you want to come down and eat.”. Awkward silence followed after. Tommy thought about what he had said. Shaking his head Tommy began to whine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No food!”. Tommy crossed his arms. His father walked fully into the room. He put his hand on Tommy’s head. “You have to eat dinner. I, I’ll get you ice cream after if you come down stairs.”. Tommy looked up at his father. “Weally?”. His father nodded as he went to the door. “Come on bud. Your mother made roast beef.”. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tommy scrambled to his feet. Before following his dad Tommy put Clem down on his bed. Going into the kitchen he saw his mother putting out plates on the table. “Mama!”. Tommy waddled over to his mother. She looked at him and smiled. “Hello Tommy. How’s my baby boy doing tonight?”. Tommy bounced up and down in his spot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Awsum!”. Tommy’s mother chuckled picking Tommy’s plate back up off the table. “Do you want pirates or dinosaurs?”. She walked over to the cabinets as Tommy’s father got him to sit down. “Dinosor!”. She got out a dinosaur plate and a dinosaur sippy cup. She paused however turning to Tommy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is it a sippy cup day or a baba day?”. Tommy looked at his mother. “Sippy!”. He answered as his dad started putting food out on the two plates there. Walking over Tommy’s mother put the dinosaur plate and sippy cup down in front of him. He spit out his pacifier onto the table.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dinner was silent. Tommy had to have his beef cut into small pieces but other than that there was no problem. Well at least that Tommy could pick up on. And his father stuck true to his word as he got Tommy ice cream from the closest gas station. The day ended with Tommy having to do homework.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Tommy was on call with Tubbo. They were playing on the SMP but weren’t streaming. Just talking to each other as they mined for ores. The Twitter problem cooled down after the week finished. “So how many diamonds do you think were going to get?”. Tubbo was strip mining as Tommy was in a cave. “Well obviously a lot! We’re awesome miners!”. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Just as Tommy said that a creeper blew up behind him. “Holly fuck!”. Tommy screamed, knocking some stuffy off his desk from jumping. Tubbo giggled watching his friend on discord. They both had their cameras on. “You okay there Tommy?”. Tubbo continued to laugh at his friend's frightened state.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh hush Tubbo! He came out of nowhere.”. Tommy went back to mining. His heart cooled down from the jump scare. After thirty minutes Tubbo and Tommy took their stuff and left the caves. “Four diamonds aren’t that bad Tommy.”. Tommy rolled his eyes. “I would have more luck winning the lottery then finding these stupid diamonds.”. Tubbo giggled at Tommy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh come on that’s not true. We should get fortune on our pickaxes however. So next time we can- Tommy is that a pacifier?”. Tommy’s heart dropped. No it didn’t just drop. It broke and is now being eaten by Satan. “What do you mean pacifier? I don’t own one.”. Tommy laughed out. Please drop it please drop it please drop it-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s on the floor. Behind you.”. Tubbo said, confused. Turning around Tommy did indeed see his red pacifier. Freezing up Tommy’s head went blank. How can he get out of this? What could he possibly say!? “I uh, was looking through my old baby things. My mom wanted baby pictures and they were all in one box.”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Please by it! Oh if he didn’t Tommy would just curl up in a ball and die. He couldn’t have his best friend calling him a weirdo. He just couldn’t. “Oh makes sense.”. Tubbo’s eyes widened at a thought. “Can I see a picture! I want to see baby TommyInnit.”. Tommy turned back to his computer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Did he really just believe that? “Sorry but my mom has them. I could ask later tho.”. Tubbo just nodded going back to the game. Tommy picked up the pacifier and put it on his bed out of frame. Going back to his chair he started up another conversation.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>He wasn’t supposed to be awake. He wasn’t supposed to peak out of his room. He wasn’t supposed to hear his dad yell at his mom. But he did. He was awake, he wasn’t in bed and he heard everything. Tommy’s dad wasn’t angry at his mom for something she did. No. He was angry because of Tommy. “He can’t keep acting like a child Lizzie! He’s sixteen. I let it go because school was hell for me when I was a kid but he should have got over it by now!”. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tommy was frozen in place. What was his father saying? He was supportive before. He was supposed to be supportive. “Honey he’s going through stuff right now. And if it means buying him some baby things then I’m fine with that.”. His mother defended him. Tommy couldn’t see them from where his room was. But he knew his father was angry and his mother was sad.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He needs to grow up! Walking around with a pacifier and having you chop up food for him is stupid! I’m not letting my son grow up to be a fucking adult baby! What’s next! Fucking diapers!? I’m stopping this now!”. Tommy could hear his dad storm around the house. “Stop it Alexander! You can’t just throw away Tommy’s things!”. “Fucking watch me! He doesn’t need these plates! He doesn’t need this baby bottle!”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A tear slid down Tommy’s cheek. He wasn’t supposed to be listening. Like he wasn’t supposed to be little… “You need to stop encouraging his behaviour! He’s confused and doesn’t need you backing him up!”. “What he needs is for us to understand!”. “What he needs is a slap of reality! Not some baby garbage!”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tommy closed his room door. As silently as possible. Putting his back against it he started to cry. “Mama, dada.”. He said to himself. He slid down the door and onto the floor. Tommy put his legs up to his chest as he held onto himself. Afraid of if he let go he’d break into two. His father continued to yell but it was muffled by the door.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tears kept falling as Tommy kept his cries in. Breathing began to get harder and harder as the time passed. After some time his parents stopped yelling. He could guess that his dad was on the couch. After a fight like that they wouldn’t be sleeping next to each other. Looking up Tommy saw his phone charging on his bedside table. Without thinking he got up and unlocked it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Going to discord Tommy looked at all his friends' names. A tear droplet landed on his screen. Looking at it he could see someone who definitely wasn’t awake. But he still clicked on their name. Waiting for the ringing to drop out Tommy laid down in his bed. He looked at his phone. “Hello?”. Tommy’s eyes widened at hearing Phil’s voice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He picked up? “Tommy what are you doing up at this time?”. Phil yawned. His voice was dry and he was clearly tired. A small sob escaped Tommy’s lips. He just had to pick up didn’t he. He was supposed to just let it ring and go back to sleep! “Tommy you alright mate?”. Phil’s voice picked up as he heard Tommy’s sob.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sorry. It’s nothing so go back to sleep.”. Tommy went to go press the end call button. “Tommy you're clearly upset. I’m not just going to go to sleep knowing this.”. Phil cleared his throat. “So what’s the matter?”. Tommy couldn’t tell him the truth. Could he? No he couldn’t…It was stupid. Crying because your father finally stated his true feelings. It wasn’t what a big man would do. It isn’t what he should be doing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I-I had a nightmare.”. Phil made a hum sound. “And you couldn’t go back to sleep correct?”. “Yes.”. A small pause came after. Like Phil was thinking of the best way to approach this. Why didn’t he just say to suck it up and go back to sleep? Phil had always been nice. But being woken up in the middle of the night should at least make him a bit mad. “It must have been bad. Are you in your bed?”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ya…”. “Okay get comfortable.”. Tommy didn’t question him. He went under the covers. Looking to the side he saw Clem. Grabbing her he soon got comfortable. Tommy sniffled as he tried to breathe. He could hear Phil moving on the other end of the phone. “You comfortable?”. “Yes. Phil if you want to leave you can just go.”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Phil scoffed. “Nope not leaving.”. He could hear him type something on a keyboard. Soon a quiet tune came from the other side. “When I can’t sleep I listen to this playlist. So want to talk about it?”. Tommy liked the tune. It was like a lullaby. “Not really.”. “Okay.”. Phil didn’t say much. But how he said that one word was so soft and sweet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not filled with anger or disappointment. More tears slid down Tommy’s eyes. But they were beginning to close. Every so often they fluttered open. “Phil...Do you think I’m messed up?”. The words came out before he could think. He was tired and upset. He didn’t really want to think about what he was going to say at the moment. “No. No one is messed up Tommy. Just different.”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tommy’s eyes closed fully. Phil knew exactly what to say. “Tommy. Did someone tell you that you were messed up?”. Phil waited a bit. Small snores came through the phone. He wasn’t going to get his answer tonight. But at least he could help Tommy fall back to sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Poison</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy woke up suddenly to the sound of his alarm clock blaring in his ear. Quickly turning it off he saw that he was on discord. His call had ended four hours ago. Thinking back to what he was doing last night his eyes widened. He had called Phil at one in the morning. Meaning he stayed on call for two more hours after calling.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy wiped his eyes trying to get the sleepiness, to what he would say, fuck off. Yawning loudly Tommy got up from his bed. It was a Monday. So school was the only thing waiting for him. He remembered the yelling from last night to. Looking to his door he could only imagine the conversation waiting for him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not wanting to deal with it right now Tommy took his time getting ready. His phone was almost dead from being on almost all night. After getting dressed Tommy walked across the hall and into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and slowly, almost painfully so, made his way to the kitchen. His mother was making pancakes. They were his favourite.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His father sat at the table. He looked up and smiled at Tommy. “Morning son.”. Tommy’s dad gestured to sit down. Tommy did taking the seat farthest from his father. “How was your sleep Tommy?”. His mom said putting a plate in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine.”. He lied. It was the opposite of fine! He was crying until he called Phil. After a minute the table was set up and the family of three were eating. He quickly finished his pancakes. His mom always made good pancakes. They were fluffy and had lots of flavour- “I’m going to a hotel for the week.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy shot his head up from his plate. Did he hear that right? “What?”. His mother just nodded. “Your mother and I talked about it. She’s going to go into a hotel for the week. Giving you and me time to spend time alone.”. His father said it so casually. If he didn’t hear the argument last night he wouldn’t bat an eye. But now? He was a bit scared.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Looking to his mother he saw her look away from him. She bit her lip like she was trying not to say something. “You have to stop with the baby stuff Tommy.”. He froze. Was he really going to start this now? Right before school! “You're sixteen. I mean you had to know that you couldn’t be like this for long.”. His dad put his hand on Tommy’s.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a smile that could kill Tommy shuddered under his stare. Tommy’s mother stood up from the table. She wiped at her eyes. Clearly holding in tears. “Your father is right Tommy. You're in college now. So you and your dad are going to have a father and son week while I go to a hotel. It’ll be fun!”. Her smile was fake. Her happiness was fake.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy retracted his hand from his father. “But it helps me! And I can’t always control it!”. Tommy stood up from his seat. So did his father. “Of course you can control it! You just chose not to! I’m only saying this once, you are not to act like that ever! You need to grow up!”. Tommy ducked his head. He had never been yelled at like this before.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head Tommy saw his mother. “Go get your bag Tommy. I’ll drive you to school today.”. It was clear to Tommy she was trying to give him a way out. “Okay.”. He took it. Of course he did. Going back to his room he collapsed onto his bed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Suck it up.”. He said to himself. He can’t go to school with puffy and red eyes. Grabbing his bag he made sure to get his charger. Hopefully he could charge his phone at lunch. Or if he’s lucky before the first period. Walking out of his room he side eyed his father. He was washing the dishes. Oh the words he wanted to say to that man.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy made his way outside and to the car. His mother was taping on the wheel. Climbing into the back Tommy set his bag beside him. He buckled himself in as he looked to his mother. “Do you have to go to the hotel?”. Tommy’s mother turned to stare at her son. “Yes...You’ll have fun with your father. I promise.”. She smiled turning back to the front. Putting the car in drive they headed towards Tommy’s school.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was supposed to be fine. Go to school and work then head back home. But everything wasn’t fine. Tommy sat in his chair as his teacher walked around collecting homework. He had his English done, science done and even his social studies done! But of course he had to forget his math homework! He had to mess up on the class where his teacher fucking hates him!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched as she walked around the class. With her glasses and devil look on her face. It was like she knew he had forgotten. There had to be something wrong with him. How could he forget!? He’s already failing the class! The footsteps got closer to his desk as he silently panicked. They stopped in front of his desk. “Tommy. Your homework.”. Looking up his eyes met with his teacher.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t have it.”. He amitid. His teacher raised her eyebrow questionably. “And why is that?”. Think Tommy think! What do you tell her to make her the least mad at you? “I ate it.”. The class erupted in laughter. A frown found its way onto Tommy’s teachers face. “This is no joking matter. I’ll have to talk to your parents about you.”. She walked off to the next kid.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy put his head down on his desk. Really that’s what his brain came up with! Betty eating it would be more believable. He was going to be in so much shit! It was like time sped up. Pushing him closer and closer to having to go home. School didn’t look so bad when the bell rang to go home. Of course leaving him with more homework to do for the week.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Walking on the sidewalk Tommy’s head hung low. The sky was clear with a light chill in the air. And all he wanted to do is trap himself in his room and regress. Coming up to his house he slowed down. Mom wasn’t waiting for him. She was probably already at the hotel. “I’m a big man. I can do this. It’s only my not supportive father waiting for me.”. Walking up to the door he used his extra key and unlocked it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Walking inside he couldn’t hear anything. He must have not been home. Closing the door behind him Tommy made his way to his room. He kicked his shoes to the side. He would put them at the door later. Dropping his bag on the ground Tommy went right to his closet. Opening it he scanned for one thing and one thing only. Tommy’s eyes widened when it wasn’t there. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Where was his little bag? Did, did his father take it? No it had to be here. He needed it to be here! Tommy gripped onto his hanged shirts and tore them down. Where the fuck was it! He moved things around. Tommy tossed things out of his closet. His eyes began to water. Shoving his thumb in his mouth Tommy tried to calm down. He collapsed to his knees as he had ripped everything out of his closet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His bedroom looked like a war zone by the time he gave up. He sucked his thumb. Then a thought ran through his head. “Clem…”. Getting up off the floor Tommy whipped around to face his bed. There on it only sat pillows. No Clem the bunny. “No.”. Running over to it he tore the sheets off. “No!”. He moved the pillows around. The front door clicked close as someone walked in. He didn’t think of what he was going to do. He just ran.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He ran to the living room where he saw his dad taking off his shoes. In his hands were grocery bags. “Ah Tommy good timing. Can you help me put these away.”. He couldn’t stop his hand from dropping from his mouth. Tommy couldn’t stop his mouth from opening. He couldn’t stop the words. “Where’s all my stuff!”. He shouted. His father only frowned at that. “The baby crap? Threw it out.”. He was way to calm for what he had done.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And Clem!”. Tommy’s father turned to face Tommy. His face stern. “That old stuffed animal? Garbaged it.”. Tommy’s heart shattered. It’s like the light from the room went out. His mind was clouded. He felt his mouth move and saw his dad talk back. But it was like he wasn’t there. Like he was on autopilot. Tommy’s voice filled with anger while his fathers were filled with poison. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was only brought back to reality when he felt a hard sting on his face. Tommy blinked a couple times. He raised his hand to touch his cheek. Tommy’s eyes fell on his father. His face scared Tommy. “Don’t you ever talk back to me! I’m your father and I know what is best for you!”. Tommy’s cheek stung. He looked at his fathers hand. It was slightly raised. Like had just hit- “you hit me…”. Tommy took a step back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s father snapped out of his rage when he heard what Tommy had said. He looked to his own hand then back to Tommy. “Tommy I-“. “You fucking hit me.”. Tommy took more steps back. “It wasn’t that hard. Come on every teen needs a slap at least once in their life.”. His father tried to make it light hearted. The grocery bags were on the floor. With the contents all over the place.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His father really hit him. Tommy’s father stepped forward to try and touch Tommy’s shoulder. Tommy flinched back. “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!”. He screamed. What else was he going to do? He had never been hit by his own father before. “Tommy you're overreacting.”. Tommy didn’t want to stay. So he didn’t. He turned and sprinted down the hall. His father called after him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once in his room Tommy slammed his door shut. He pressed his back against it. Tears slid down his face. His heart beating fast and his breaths hitched. He needed Clem, he needed to regress. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t because it was </span>
  <strike>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </strike>
  <span>. Regressing got his mother living in a hotel, it got his father to hit him. Tommy fell to the floor. He curled in on himself. Wrapping his arms around himself. Tommy was silent, for once.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He quietly sobbed. Not making a sound, in fear of his father busting in. How could something that helped so much be wrong? The argument from last night rang in his head like a catchy song. The words, he’s sixteen, filled his mind. It wasn’t a lie. He was physically sixteen. But at times he wanted to be mentally five or even two.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A knock startled Tommy from his thoughts. “I’m sorry Tommy. But you were being so idiotic. You need to get over this phase of yours. It’s stupid to want to act like a child. Find a different way to deal with stress. Because I won’t let you ruin your life like this.”. It was his dad. Tommy didn’t dare make a sound.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey boys and welcome back to the stream!”. Tommy greeted his fans as they flooded in. Wilbur was, what was he doing? Tommy turned his character to look at Wilbur’s. He was swimming. Tommy chuckled seeing this. They were on there hardcore world. They had started a month ago. Ranboo and Tubbo were both in it but weren’t on. Phil popped on sometimes. But with his own hardcore world it wasn’t much.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are we doing today big man?”. Wilbur looked at Tommy as he got out of the water. “We’re going to build a underground railway!”. The two men talked as they built and dug. The stream was going amazing. Looking at the chat everyone was spamming diamonds. “Okay I feel like I’m missing something. Where the hell are the diamonds you guys are spamming about?”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy could see in the corner of his eyes a stack of overdo homework. He laughed it off going back to focus on the stream. He was failing math and now English. But didn’t care much to try and save his grade. He didn’t really care to do much of anything these days. But in front of the camera he was happy. Streaming made him smile. Streaming was his coping mechanism.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he couldn’t stream because it would cause questions to well up he was recording videos. And when he wasn’t recording he was editing. And when he wasn’t editing he was staring at his ceiling. Tommy hid the eye bags well. He had to be perfect. “Tommy watch out!”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then with a split second everything wasn’t. A creeper explosion rang out in his ears as the death message popped up in chat. Chat was going crazy. </span>
  <b>TommyInnit was blown up by creeper</b>
  <span>. Tommy stared at the screen. No, no no no nononononono! “Fuck!”. Tommy banged on his keyboard. Wilbur was freaking out in the background. Obviously hyping it up for the stream.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy groaned as he let the world know of almost every curse word he knew of. A mouth of progress, gone. He needed to end the stream. He couldn’t come back. Wilbur ended up ending his stream shortly after Tommy. Tommy was blankly staring at the screen. He was just looking at discord. “Tommy you okay? That keyboard bang was pretty loud.”. Wilbur chuckled out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya…”. Lies were a part of Tommy's vocabulary. They have been for a long time now. “I have to go eat dinner. See you around Wilbur.”. “See you Tommy.”. Tommy exited the discord call. Knowing full well he wasn’t going to eat dinner. Standing up from his chair Tommy went to his closet. He took off the sweater he was wearing. He was skinny underneath. Throwing the sweater in his closet Tommy went back to his computer. His desk was messy. Homework scattered all around it, with juice stains on them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy just sat there. A frown plastered onto his face. His head was racing. But his breaths were controlled. More than they should have been. Looking under his desk he could see a backpack. It wasn’t for school. After an hour of staring blankly at his computer screen Tommy got up. He wanted to feel something that wasn’t mentally draining. So he walked over to his bedside table.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Opening it he picked up a small box. He shoved it in his pocket as he made his way out of his room. He could hear his parents talking to each other in their bedroom. Tommy opened the bathroom door, locking it behind himself. Placing the small box on the counter Tommy pulled his pants down. His left and right thigh had bandages on them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unravelling them Tommy could see the small cuts he made on his skin. Opening up the small box he took out a razor blade. Putting it close to his thigh Tommy prepared himself. He needed to take a mental break. He couldn’t take the stress of school, his home life or having to be perfect. He could before. When he used to age regress a month ago.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He pressed into his skin slowly. He hissed at the pain. It filled his mind like you couldn’t believe. The stress that rang in his mind on a day to day basis washed away. Being replaced with hot pain. One for school, one for home and one for life in general. He went over his old scars. Not wanting to make more. He pressed his back against the fall as he slid down.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His head was finally cleared. Finally rid of the voices of the people who told him he wasn’t enough. He’s sixteen. His father reminded him of that every day. He’s failing school. His teachers yelled at him every time he got to school. He got a different coping mechanism. His mother would be proud. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s blood dripped from the small cuts he had. Looking down at his skin he could only feel pain. But it wasn’t emotional. So the razor did it’s job. Tommy was brought back to reality when his phone went off. Clumsily grabbing his phone from his pants pocket Tommy pressed the answer button. “Tommy!”. Tommy put the phone to his ear. A small smile spread to his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tubbo!”. He greeted his best friend. “What’s up?”. He could hear shuffling on the other side. Like Tubbo was getting comfortable. “Just called to talk. I can’t wait for tomorrow!”. Tomorrow? What was going on tomorrow? “Uh ya can’t wait!”. Tommy could hear Tubbo place his phone down on his table. “You forgot didn’t you!”. “What, no! Okay maybe a little. What are we doing tomorrow?”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy placed his phone on the tiled floor. He used his bandages to wrap the new cuts on his thigh. Internally thanking god for not having blood drip on the white floor. “We’re meeting with the S.B.I crew and the Dream team tomorrow! Since it’s a school break for both of us we were going to sleep at a hotel near Wilbur’s place.”. Then the memory’s clicked. He had asked his father and mother about it a week ago.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>How could he have forgotten! They paid in advance for the hotel room for fucks sake! “I completely forgot! What time are we meeting up!?”. Tommy scrambled to pull up his pants without hissing from the pain. He picked up his phone and pressed it close to his ear. “Around 11:00 I believe. But I can always check with Wilbur.”. “No it’s fine.”. Tommy made his way to his bedroom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tried to hold back the pain from his leg from escaping his lips. “You're rushing to pack aren’t you.”. Tommy chuckled. “How’d you know!”. Leave it to Tubbo to make Tommy smile again. He never cut because he couldn’t feel things. He cut to give his mind a break from all the emotions he couldn’t get out. Tubbo just chuckled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Because I’m your best friend! Okay so you're going to need enough clothes for a few days.”. Tommy listened to Tubbo. As he packed he started to forget about the pain. The stress didn’t come back until Tubbo had to leave. Tommy looked at his suitcases. Meeting up with his friends was going to be amazing! Tubbo, Phil, Wilbur were the closest thing he had to a family that wasn’t blood related. He was even excited to see Dream.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Going to bed that night wasn’t easy. Stress mixed with excitement was a dangerous thing. Tommy pulled his pillows into his arms. Cuddling them helped. His eyes slowly shut. Only darkness met him in his dreams.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So that went from 0 to 100 real quick. But I am so ready for next chapter! S.B.I and Dream team is a chaotic mix I am so ready to write. Hope you liked this chapter. Comments are greatly appreciated as I love to read feedback.</p>
<p>See you next chapter my lovely readers. For some much needed fluff...and drama...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. We Don’t Sleep At Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy watched the trees pass by. The car was quiet as his father drove. His suitcases were in the trunk. “Tommy, remember to behave yourself. I’m not picking you back up until your time there is done. I didn’t pay for a hotel room for you just to come home. Got it?”. Tommy sighed. Like him his father was a liar.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You paid for half…”. Tommy whispered. “Tommy speak up.”. Gripping onto the bottom of his shit Tommy quickly fixed his tone of voice. “Alright. I won't call.”. His father only nodded. After an hour they pulled up to a park. “Get your suitcase and get out. I have to get to work.”. His father said sharply. Tommy only nodded as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He got his stuff out of the trunk of the car and waved goodbye to his dad. Stretching his arms Tommy looked around.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. His father pulled out of where he parked and drove off. He was supposed to meet the guys somewhere nearby. Walking into the park he could see kids playing soccer. Where would they be? “Tommy!”. Turning his head his silent question was answered. A smile formed on the two boys' faces as Tubbo waved. Beside Tubbo was Wilbur and Phil.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy ran. Dragging his stuff behind him. Tubbo ran towards Tommy also, leaving his own stuff with Phil and Wilbur. Meeting in the middle Tubbo wrapped his arms around Tommy. “You made it!”. “Of course I would bitch!”. Tommy chuckled as Tubbo looked up at his friend. They stayed like that for a few seconds before they pulled apart. “Where here too you know!”. Wilbur yelled out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy laughed as he walked with Tubbo back to the group. “How was the trip?”. Tommy looked over at Phil. “Not bad.”. Phil nodded looking around. “Where’s your father? We met with Tubbo’s.”. Phil questioned Tommy. Tommy froze up. Why did he want to talk with his father? Did he know something was off? How could he, Tommy made sure to look presentable. “He had work. Why?”. Great cover. Get the conversation off of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just wanted to make sure if something happens we know who to call.”. It makes sense. Both Phil and Wilbur were adults hanging out with sixteen year olds that clearly weren’t part of their family. “Nothing will happen. Don’t need to think the worst.”. Tommy said looking over at Wilbur. “So where’s Techno, Dream, Sapnap and George?.”. Wilbur just shrugged his shoulders. Pointing to the far distance.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dream and them dropped their stuff off with Phil and I. And Techno texted that he was close. Probably already at the hotel. They’ll meet us at the arcade later.”. “Heck ya! Arcades are awesome!”. Tubbo yelled, grabbing his stuff. “Come on we need to drop our stuff off.”. Tubbo was bubbling over with excitement. “Okay mr jumpy.”. Phil started to walk in a direction. The three boys followed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They soon came up to a good looking hotel. Wasn't fancy but good for sleeping comfortably. They walked in going up to the front desk. Tommy looked around. This is where he would be staying for the next couple of days. “Just sign here, and here, and here.”. Tommy turned back to watch both Phil and Wilbur fill out some forms. The lady at the front desk handed Phil a keycard.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe we’re staying together.”. Tubbo nudged Tommy’s shoulder as they were on the move again. “You better not be a snorer!”. Tommy joked as they walked into an elevator. “Okay so Tubbo you and Tommy are in room 506.”. Wilbur pressed the button for the fifth floor. Phil was holding two room keycards. One which said, 508, on it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Techno and I are in room 508 while Dream and Wilbur are in room 507.”. Phil looked down at the two boys. “And I’m pretty sure Sapnap and George are also on the same floor. So if you two need anything while we’re here just knock on our room doors.”. Tommy and Tubbo just nodded. Wilbur tapped his foot. It reminded Tommy of how his mom would tap on things while waiting for him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The elevator soon opened. Tommy walked out looking down the hall. Down the hall Tommy could see Techno. He was having trouble with the swipe on the door. Trying to unlock the door was ten times more hard when you were also holding a bunch of bags. Did he not have a suitcase? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Need help big man!”. Tommy called out. Techno turned his head before going back to the door. Both Tommy and Tubbo giggled as Techno failed once more to swipe his room keycard. Wilbur looked around the hall. Like he was trying to see how far the rooms were from each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think they gave me the wrong keycard.”. Techno said as they got closer. Phil took the key card from Techno looking at it. “You got it backwards mate.”. This made Wilbur, Tommy and Tubbo burst out laughing. Techno just groaned snatching the card back from Phil. Swiping it the right way this time the door clicked open. “Stupid doors…”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil turned to Tommy, handing him a keycard. “You think you can get in by yourself?”. “Of course I can!”. Tommy took the key from Phil. He ran down to their room. He quickly swiped it as Tubbo pushed the door open. Walking inside they dumped their stuff onto the floor. Looking around Tommy could see two beds. “I call the one at the wall!”. He yelled walking over to it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As if to prove it now belonged to him he sat down on it. Tubbo just went to the second one sitting on it as well. There was a TV, bathroom and a small refrigerator. “The beds are bouncy!”. Tommy looked over to see Tubbo stand up and jump. He smiled watching his friend.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Currently Tommy was taking Sapnap on at an arcade game. Both were neck and neck as Tubbo and George cheered on their friends. “You're no match for me Sapnap!” “Oh really!? How about this!”. Sapnap moved his joystick abruptly. Making Tommy’s character fly off the side. Giving him a game over. “Are fucking kidding me!”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sapnap raised both his arms up. “Ha beat you! Come on I’m the best!”. Tickets pooled onto the floor on Sapnap’s side. Tommy grumbled crossing his arms. “Well this game is stupid! It doesn’t appreciate my awesome gaming skills.”. Tubbo chuckled as George gave Sapnap a high five.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks like the kids are done playing.”. Dream walked up with a container full of his own tickets. “I am no kid!”. Tommy retorted. Dream only patted Tommy’s head. “Ya, keep telling yourself that.”. Tommy swatted his hand away. “Ha Tommy want to go check out the racing games?”. Turning to Tubbo Tommy could see him pointing to the games he was talking about.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Last one is a slug!”. Tommy ran over to the games as Tubbo followed. “Not fair you had a head start!”. The two got over to the games. “Ha I won. You're a slug.”. Tubbo whined punching Tommy’s shoulder. “Not fair. I call foul.”. “You can’t call foul!”. Both Tubbo and Tommy erupted into laughter. They took out their tokens and went on playing the games.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They yelled back and forth as they kept knocking into each other. People stared at the loud boys but they didn’t care. They were having too much fun to care. As Tubbo got closer to the finishing line the more Tommy turned to cheating. Right before he could cross the finishing line Tommy jumped Tubbo with tickles. “T-Tommy not fair! Haha s-stop!”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo used his free hand to steer as he sides were being attacked. He quickly crossed the finishing line with Tommy going second. “S-see cheaters never win!”. Tubbo was still laughing. Tommy let go of his friend as the tickets came out. “Well it would have worked if I did it earlier.”. He pouted. Tubbo picked up his tickets.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey how many you think we got?”. Tommy picked up his own tickets looking them over. “I don’t know. Want to go over to the prize corner?”. Tubbo turned to look at it. His eyes widened at all the prizes. “Ya let’s go.”. The two boys walked over to the prize corner. They had used their last token playing the racing game. So this was the last thing they could do.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They took so long looking around Techno and Wilbur came to look for them. “So here you two went.”. Techno said. He had his own tickets to cash in. “There’s so many options!”. Tommy agreed with Tubbo. Does he want one big thing or go for the many small things? Techno walked over to a potato plushy. Picking it up he smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked over at it. “That’s for baby’s.”. Tommy was holding onto a small nerf gun. “So?”. Techno didn’t seem to care for Tommy’s words as he went up to get it. It confused Tommy. If it was for baby’s then why was Techno getting it? “It’s just a plushy. It’s not going to eat you.”. Wilbur joked seeing how Tommy eyed the object in Techno’s hands.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked down at the nerf gun he had in his hands. Looking at the plushy section he could see all kinds of plushies. No, he couldn’t get one. He sighed as he brought the nerf gun to the ticket man. Handing in all his tickets in for the toy. “What’d you eat Tubbo?”. Tommy turned to look at what Tubbo had got. He got a yellow slinky. “Ready to go?”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno walked over to the boys with his potato plush. “Wilbur didn’t cash his in yet.”. Tubbo mumbled pointing to the taller male. “Oh I’m saving mine up for the bigger prizes. Since I live close by and all.”. Wilbur turned and started walking. Techno, Tubbo and Tommy followed. At the front the rest of the group waited. “There’s the children!”. Sapnap said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil looked up from his phone. “There’s a pizza place nearby. Want to go there for lunch?”. “Hell yes!”. Tommy agreed straight away. The rest also agreed. They made their way to a pizza place and sat down at a booth. Tommy sat next to Dream across from Tubbo. “So what does everyone want?”. Techno said looking at the menu in the front.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pepperonis!”. “Olives and peppers.”. “Pineapple.”. “What the fuck Dream.”. After a while they agreed to get two large pizzas. They would be split so half of it had something and the other didn’t. Phil went up in the line to order. “What’d you get from the prize corner?”. Tommy turned his head to look up at Dream. Why was he so freakishly tall!?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh I got a new vlog gun.”. Tommy held it up. Dream looked it over. A sly smile went on his face. “Oh I thought you would get a plush like Techno. Cuz you're a child.”. Dream teased. “Well what did you get. Bet it’s more childish than my nerf gun!”. Dream went into his pocket and pulled out two friend bracelets. Each half missing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gave the other half to Sapnap and George.”. “Well, well it’s stupid!”. Tommy spat out. Tubbo just chuckled. Soon Phil came back with the pizzas. Everyone got two slices. Tommy munched down on his slice. Looking out the window he could see it was getting dark. The sun looked beautiful.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The pinks, oranges and reds swirled in the sky. Tommy put down his slice as he watched the sun. He was so tiny compared to it. So tiny but felt like his problems were so big. He moved his hands over his thigh. He pressed down on it. Pain flared from the cuts. He needed to feel. So he pressed harder. Tommy grit his teeth as he welcomed the pain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was stopped by Dream’s hand under the table. His hand pulled Tommy’s away from his thigh. Looking over he saw Dream eyeing him from the corner of his eye. “Earth to Tommy.”. Dream smiled waving with his other hand. “Wa-what.”. Tommy stuttered out. Dream was clearly unaware of what Tommy was doing. Only grabbing his hand to bring him back to reality.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You spaced out dude.”. Tubbo said. “Your pizza is getting cold.”. Tommy looked down at the forgotten last slice on his plate. “Oh.”. Tommy pulled his hand away from Dream as he grabbed his slice. Taking a big bite of it the others went back to talking. Their mouths are full of food too. After everyone was done eating they set off to the hotel. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The walk was chatty. Tommy and Tubbo talked about how they were going to stay up all night. Just to get shut down by both Wilbur and Phil. George and Sapnap were arguing about who knows what. And Dream was silently listening to them. Techno yawned as they came into the lobby. Going into the elevator Dream pressed for the fifth floor. Walking into the hallway the men went to their rooms for the night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Tommy, Tubbo. If you need anything just knock, okay.”. Wilbur looked towards the two teens of the group and smiled. “We don’t need you!”. “Alright Wilbur.”. Wilbur laughed at the two completely opposite replies. “Goodnight you two.”. He waved them off as he went to his shared room with Dream. Tommy looked towards Tubbo. “Come on!”. Tubbo dragged Tommy away to their room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy woke up feeling wetness. Looking around he spotted the clock. “2:36.”. He mumbled to himself. Wait, wetness? Tommy sat up and took the blankets off. Revealing that he had bled through his bandages. Shock filled Tommy’s mind. They were grey sheets he was laying on. The blood made a disgusting colour on the bed. Tommy’s blue pyjama pants had definitely seen better days.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy quickly turned to see Tubbo still asleep. Tommy practically jumped out of bed. He took the sheets off. Looking over the bed he sighed. The blood didn’t go through the sheets. Tommy carried the sheets over to the bathroom. Putting them down in the bathtub before going to go get a new change of clothes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He opened his suitcase and got out a pair of black pants. He stared at some extra bandages he packed. He grabbed those too before closing his suitcase back up. As he stood Tubbo turned in his sleep. Don’t open your eyes, don't open your eyes. Tommy pleaded in his mind as he silently made his way back to the bathroom. He pulled his pyjama pants off and threw them in the bathtub too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s thigh was covered in blood. His old cuts stringed. They were probably re-opened from him moving in his sleep. Curse not being able to lay still. Tommy unwrapped the old bandages and threw them in the garbage. Taking some toilet paper and wetting it he started to dab at the cuts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He grit his teeth. Can’t make a sound. After cleaning himself and bandaging the cuts up Tommy put the black pants on. He turned to the bathtub. Tommy reached out and slowly turned the water on. It squeaked as the water began to flow down. Using the soap that was there Tommy started to wash the sheets and his pants. After some time had passed he had got the blood out of both things.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy reached back to the knobs once more. As he turned the water off it made the loudest squeak he had ever heard. “Shit, shit, shit.”. Tommy quickly looked behind himself. He sighed as he saw he didn’t wake up Tubbo. Turning back to the bed sheet he started to ring it out. How was he supposed to hide a soaked bed sheet from his friend?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The question was answered for him when the lights in the bathroom turned on. The answer was, he wasn’t going to hide it. Because he had got caught. “Tommy?”. Tubbo yawned as he rubbed at his eyes. Tommy slowly turned head to meet his eyes with Tubbo’s. “What are you doing in here? It’s 3:00 in the morning.”. Had he really been cleaning these stupid pants and sheets for that long!?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy was silent, his mind went blank. Tommy’s breathing got quicker and his mouth was dry. “I, uh.”. Come on think! Tubbo just stared at his friend. His eyes landed in the bathtub. He could see Tommy’s bed sheets. And were those his pyjama pants? Looking over Tommy he could swear the other boy had just committed murder. “I can explain!”. Tommy yelled out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you have an accident?”. What…Tommy looked at his friend. What did he mean by accident? Then Tommy looked over himself and the bed sheets. It suddenly clicked on what Tubbo meant. Tubbo thought that Tommy had wet the bed and was cleaning the mess up! Tommy tried to think of a lie. He looked back at Tubbo. He was just waiting for an answer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t tell the others.”. Why the hell did he say that!? Tommy cursed himself out. Tubbo was going to think of Tommy as some kind of bed wetter now! Some kind of fucking baby! Tommy was shaking in his spot. “It’s okay I won’t say anything. Being away from home can be a lot for some people.”. Tubbo turned away from Tommy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Take your time.”. With that he left the bathroom. Did he really just say, it’s okay. Like did that just leave Tubbo’s lips or was Tommy imagining things? Tommy pitched his arm. The pain gave it away that this wasn’t some kind of dream. He calmed down. After hanging the bed sheets and his pants over the shower railing Tommy walked out of the bathroom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo was laying in his bed. “Good night Tommy!”. Tubbo said rolling over to get comfortable again. “Good night Tubbo.”. Tommy replied, getting into his own bed. He looked at Tubbo’s back. Tommy’s bandages were tightly done around his thighs. The moon light was shining through the windows. And he was completely embarrassed from head to toe.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So Tommy is forever going to be embarrassed about what happened that night. Even if it wasn’t what Tubbo thought he was washing out of the bed sheets. Not much to say about this chapter. Just a heads up, some very soft things are coming next chapter. 👀</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Here’s To Never Growing Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy woke up to Tubbo’s alarm clock. Both boys groaned as they got up. Tommy sat up right as Tubbo laid on his back. “Morning.”. Tommy yawned out as he rubbed at his eyes. “Ya, morning.”. Tubbo got up and stretched. Tubbo went to his suitcase and took out the day's clothes. “What do you think we’re doing today?”. Wilbur had planned the trip with the help of Techno and Dream.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So both boys didn’t know what they were going to do. “No idea. But I bet it would be fun!”. Tubbo stood up from his suitcase and walked to the bathroom to get changed. Tommy swinged his legs over the side of the bed. He yawned one more time before getting up. Going to his suitcase Tommy took out today’s clothes. He waited for Tubbo to be done in the bathroom before he changed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Looking over at the bathtub Tommy could see his bed sheets. He sighed. Last night was a wreck. Tommy quickly changed and left the bathroom. Not even a minute after he sat down on his bed knocking came from the door. “it’s Wilbur!”. Tommy got up and so did Tubbo. They made there way over to the door opening it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur stood on the other side with a smile. “Good morning you too. What do you think of going to sky zone?”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The group was split up into three cars. All making their way to the movie theatres. Tommy rode with Techno, Phil and Sapnap. He sat in the back watching the trees go by. It was quiet. Tommy knew better than to make noise when someone was driving. Last time he made that mistake his father yelled at him. Words hurt more than physical punishment sometimes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Looking to the side he could see Techno also looking out the window. “How far are we going?”. Sapnap spoke up. The noise made Tommy flinch. Talking, in the car? Does Sapnap want a death wish? “Ah not that far. We wanted to go to the good one.”. Phil had responded like it was nothing. “Tommy you okay?”. Techno had whispered. Sapnap and Phil had started a conversation so they didn’t hear him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy just nodded. The window looked nice to Tommy right about now. So he looked out it. Techno took that reply. They soon pulled up to a sky zone. They looked to be the last there as Tommy saw the other two cars. They got out and headed inside. Phil got them in and Tommy went running to the area.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked around. He could see Dream, George, Wilbur and- “Tommy!”. Tubbo waved as he jumped on one of the trampolines. Tommy ran over. A smile on both boys' faces. “I bet I can go higher than you Tubbo!”. “You're on!”. And so they spent their time jumping. Trying to beat the other. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo was winning. For some reason he was just a better jumper. “I win!”. Tommy frowned. “Oh come on.”. They laughed together. Soon Techno found himself near the two boys. They decided to try doing flips. “I bet I could do two!”. Tubbo had said. Tommy just giggled. He never giggled. “Ya well I’ll do thwee.”. Tubbo didn’t notice. And Tommy was slipping fast.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was going great though. Both boys were having fun. Techno was counting the flips for them. They were both tied with three flips. So it was now Tommy’s turn. He was all giggly as he jumped in one spot on the trampoline. He lined himself up with the long trampoline run. Tommy then ran and jumped. Both Tubbo and Techno waited to see how many flips he could do.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But then a kid ran in front of Tommy. To not hit the kid Tommy couldn’t stick the landing of the first flip. Tripping to the side Tommy fell off the trampoline area. He hit his face off the floor. “Tommy!”. Tubbo yelled running over. Techno followed as they got down from the trampoline area. Tommy’s nose hurt. He sat up groaning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lifting his hand to touch his nose Tommy felt blood. By this time Tommy had fully regressed. Not even knowing he did so. Tubbo and Techno got to Tommy. “Oh shit your bleeding!”. Tubbo yelled. Techno bent down to look over Tommy. “It’s not broken. Just bleeding. Hey Phil!”. Techno yelled, getting the older man's attention. Once his eyes landed on Tommy he sprinted over.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s eyes were wet as tears threatened to fall. “It’s okay Tommy it’s just a bloody nose.”. Tubbo was freaking out as he rambled. “What happened?”. Phil bent down beside Tommy with Techno. “He fell off the side as a kid ran in front of him.”. Phil nodded. “Tommy let’s go to the bathroom and get your nose cleaned up.”. Phil got up and held his hand out for Tommy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The gesture was nice. Fatherly you could say. It made Tommy feel safe. And so he took Phil’s hand getting up off the floor. “I’ll tell the others what happened.”. Tubbo said. He looked to Tommy for approval. Which Tommy never gave. “Go get Wilbur first.”. Techno broke the silence. Making Tubbo run off to go find the other. The two men brought Tommy to the men’s bathroom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno got out paper towels and wet them. “Here.”. He passed them over to Phil. Tommy looked at the paper towels in Phil’s hands. He backed up a bit. Phil stared at Tommy confused. “Tommy I need you to stand still for me.”. Phil moved his hand towards Tommy’s nose. Making the teen step back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He frowned. “Tommy?”. Techno questioned the teens behaviour. “Nu.”. Tommy said shyly. He put his hands to his nose to block Phil. “Tommy your nose is bleeding. I need to clean it. Unless you want to.”. Phil put his hand out for Tommy to grab the paper towels. Tommy slowly reached over and took them. He dabbed slowly on his nose.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh I’m going to go look for the guys. Make sure they don’t kill the kid who ran in front of you.”. Techno then walked out of the bathroom. Leaving Phil with Tommy. “Tommy you have to be harder with the dabbing.”. Phil took Tommy’s hand in his as he helped clean up the blood. Tommy squirmed not wanting Phil to help him. “I can do it.”. Tommy whined.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After cleaning up the bloody nose Phil put his hand to Tommy’s head. “What are ou doin?”. Phil began to get worried. “Tommy is your head hurting at all?”. Tommy shook his head. “Nose hurt. Dats it.”. Okay now Phil was really worried. It’s been so long since Tommy has regressed. He didn’t understand the worry in Phil’s face. “What’s wong.”. Tommy frowned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then something clicked in Phil’s mind. “Tommy, how old are you?”. Tommy smiled. No one had asked that question to him before. Tommy smiled widely and put up five fingers. One of his bigger ages. Phil nodded. He looked around the washroom. No one was in here. So he went up to the door and locked it. “How about you become sixteen again. And then we go tell the boys you're alright.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Phil turned back around his heart sank. Tommy was clutching onto his shirt. A tear went down his cheek. “Ou no fink is okay. I sowy Phil.”. Phil waved his hands not knowing what to do with them. “No it’s fine Tommy! I’ve had friends back in high school who regressed. You don’t need to be sorry.”. Phil walked up to Tommy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He patted Tommy on the shoulder. “How about this. I’ll stay here until you're big and then before we all go back home you can regress. Sounds good?”. Tommy wiped his eyes smiling. “Okay!”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo ran up and hugged Tommy. He had a tissue in his nose. “I wasn’t dying!”. Sapnap, Wilbur, George, Dream and Techno walked up. “From what I heard you were already dead.”. Sapnap laughed out. Tubbo just pouted. “It was a lot of blood!”. Tubbo definitely was overreacting about the whole thing. And it made Tommy smile. “Our time is up I think.”. Phil said behind Tommy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His voice made Tommy shrink in his spot. Phil had stayed with Tommy until he got out of little space. Which when he did he was extremely embarrassed. Tommy didn’t even want to look at Phil. They walked out of the sky zone and to the parking lot. “So George and Tubbo are going in one car.”. Wilbur pointed to a car that they had come in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur got out his keys. “Techno, Sapnap and Tommy are riding with Phil-“. “Can I ride with Dream and you!”. Tommy yelled out. Wilbur looked at him then at Phil. “Alright. Everyone ready to go?”. Everyone nodded. And Tommy internally thanked Wilbur for not asking. He did not want to be in the same car as Phil. He didn’t want his friend to hit him. They soon got into their cars and were on the road.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy felt, well he didn’t know. Phil had been nice to him. Why? He had no clue. He wasn’t supposed to get caught, he wasn’t supposed to be comforted. So why had Phil told him it was alright? Tommy pressed his hand on his thigh. He couldn’t regress. He can’t! Today was just a slip up. Tommy’s heart raced so fast. He was going to lie. Tell Phil he had hit his head on the ground and was going crazy. He kept pressing harder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After some time they pulled up to the hotel. All got out and to Wilbur’s room. All of them filled the room. They got out board games and started playing. Tommy stayed away from the action. He couldn’t get sucked in. “Hey Tommy.”. Techno sat down beside the teenager. Fiddling with something in his hands. Tommy turned to see what it was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was Techno’s potato plush. Techno had ADHD. His whole fan base knew that. So it was no surprise that he was stimming. Playing quietly with his potato plush. Tommy wanted a plush, he wanted Clem. But she was gone. Gone in the garbage. Maybe he deserved it. He wasn’t a child, a baby. He was a teenager.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Here.”. Tommy looked back at Techno. He held out a moth plush. “Phil said that the nose thing really hurt. So Sapnap and I decided to buy you a plush on our way here. Stimming helps me so maybe cuddling can help you. If you don't want it I can take it back.”. “Fuck you.”. Techno looked at Tommy. “Making me care for such a ugly thing.”. Tommy took the moth plush.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He held it up to his face. It was cute, he had to admit that. After seeing Tommy had accepted the gift Techno went back to stimming. Tommy glanced at Phil a couple of times. He put Sapnap and Techno up to this didn’t he. Was he making fun of Tommy? Well fuck him! He was going to keep the moth plush out of spite now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It is his forever. “Oh come on!”. George and Sapnap started to fight. It made Tommy laugh. “Fuck him up!”. He didn’t know who he was going for. But it was fun watching the two bicker. Tubbo walked over to Tommy and sat down. “Who’s that?”. Tubbo pointed to Tommy’s new plush. “I-I don’t know.”. Tommy stared at the moth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What would be its name? “What about Melvin?”. Melvin, for a moth? Tommy nodded. “Ya! This bitch is now Melvin.”. Tommy held it up. Tommy could swear Techno was smiling. “Who’s Melvin?”. Dream said looking over. “Tommy’s new plush.”. Tommy started to panic. He wasn’t allowed to have a plush. “Cool.”. Dream smiled turning back to the game.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy hugged Melvin. “It’s okay?”. He whispered. Tommy looked down at the plush. “It’s okay.”. Tommy breathed out a relief. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy was fucking panicking! How the hell was he supposed to get Melvin home!? Tommy paced the dark bedroom. Tubbo was sound asleep. Tommy clutched onto Melvin like his life depended on it. His breathing sped up. Melvin wasn’t for baby’s, no, he was meant for people who liked soft things. And Tommy liked soft things!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But his father would definitely not see it that way. He would just slap Tommy again. He didn’t want to get hit. So what was he going to do? Tommy’s head filled with thoughts. He’s a teenager not a child! Tommy wanted to yell, wanted to get his head cleared. But he couldn’t. Tubbo was sleeping. So instead Tommy went to his suitcase. Putting down Melvin Tommy got out his small box of razors.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Going into the bathroom he made sure to lock the door. By this time his bed sheets and pants were clean. So it was just him and his razors. Tommy pulled down his pants and undid his bandages. Keeping them neat to put on later. He took out his razors blade and put it to his thigh. Too many things plagued the boy's mind. And this was a way to clear it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His other cuts have healed already. So he went over them. There’s no need to make more scars on his body. Tommy pressed down on his leg. Pain filled his mind faster than the stress could. So he kept going. Over all his old cuts. Blood slid down his leg. Tommy collapsed onto the ground. A pained smile on his face. He didn’t even notice he was crying.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was better. It had always been better. His father was finally liking him again. And his mother was happy. He couldn’t break his family because he wanted to be a little. Cuz he was one. No, he had to do this. If not for him then for his parents. He’s a failure. But he could at least do this. It made him numb. And that was fine.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Because it meant no more stress. Tommy quickly got cleaned up. His thighs were screaming at him to stop moving. But the pain only made him want to do it more. After leaving the bathroom Tommy laid down on his bed. Melvin was beside him. Stupid Melvin, stupid world, stupid rules and stupid him. Tommy continued to cry. He deserved a little bit of happiness didn’t he? So what that it made him bleed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was happy. Not in the sense other people had it. The pain took over his stress and his fears. So he called that happiness. A small sob rang out through the bedroom. Tommy took Melvin and cuddled the moth plush. Curling into a ball he closed his eyes. Hot tears fell on the moth plush.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy hated how fast the days went. It was the last day of their big hang out. “So where are we even going?”. Tommy spoke up as the group walked. Wilbur refused to say a word that morning. “We’re close, don't worry.”. After a bit more walking Wilbur stopped. “And we're here!”. Tommy looked around. Tommy’s eyes went wide. They were standing in front of a huge building. One that read, Party World. The name was cheesy of course but Tommy had heard about the place.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It’s basically a whole fun house filled with things to make and play on. There were gaming sections, crafty sections, jungle gyms. Plenty of people came just for the rock climbing area they had. “Today is going to be amazing!”. Tubbo yelled as they walked in. Both teens were almost bouncing off the walls.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down you too.”. Sapnap laughed out, also looking around. The place was filled with people. “So Wilbur is paying for Tommy and Tubbo. And the rest of us are paying for ourselves.”. Phil said. It’s not like Wilbur was actually paying if you thought about it. Both Tubbo and Tommy’s parents had given him money for the meet up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The first thing they did was of course the climbing wall. Then they went to the gaming section. Tommy was having a blast. Wilbur and Phil really picked the perfect place to hang out. “Tommy are you alright.”. Dream stared down at Tommy. “Ya. Why?”. He was clicking away at the computer game against George. “Your sitting wired.”. Dream noticed turning back to his own game.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was right about Tommy sitting wired. He stayed off his thighs. Sitting in a way that he didn’t wince. Dream was way too god damn observant. “Ha I won!”. Tommy yelled as he beat Gerorge. “I’m going up against Tommy next!”. Wilbur said as he connected to his lobby.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dream kept looking at Tommy throughout the day. Something was definitely off.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Six words everyone. Shit Is going to go down. Hope you liked this chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Victorious</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy packed up his stuff for the next morning. Tonight would be the final night at the hotel with the boys. Tomorrow he will go home and go back to normal. Tubbo and the others were messing about somewhere in the hotel. Tommy looked up from his packed suitcase. He left out a change of clothes for tomorrow and his pyjamas for tonight.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Melvin was tucked into the blankets waiting for Tommy. The moth plush brought a smile to the teens face. He didn’t need to be little to love stuffed animals. So Melvin was fine. Knocking on the door took Tommy out of his thoughts. He walked up to it and opened the door. Phil stood on the other side smiling. “Hi Tommy.”. Tommy closed the door before thinking. No this can’t be good. Phil was going to yell at him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He obviously couldn’t do it before because they were in a public place. But now they were alone at a hotel. Phil was going to call him a failure, he was going to take away Melvin! Phil slowly cracked open the door. Tommy had not re-locked it. “Tommy you okay mate?” Phil’s voice was soft and sweet. It made Tommy’s body relaxed but his mind kept racing. What game was he playing at?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy just crossed his arms. “What do you want?”. He hissed defencelessly. Phil walked in and closed the door behind him. Tommy felt cornered. “Well I promised I’ll come hang out with you the final night we’re here. And you’ve been avoiding me.”. Phil admitted. Tommy felt a bit of gilt when Phil spoke. He was avoiding him. “Did I make you uncomfortable? I can admit finding out you were a little was surprising but I hope I didn’t go over any boundaries by staying with you.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil was tense. Anyone could see that. But so was Tommy. Wait, was he concerned for him? Tommy took a step back which Phil saw. Phil was just being like his father. Being supportive before turning on him. “I can go if you want me to. I just wanted to give you a chance of being a little. Since we were here for so long I bet you couldn’t have regressed at any time.”. Phil turned to leave. Tommy acted before his mind could say no. Again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy grabbed Phil’s hands. Phil stopped in his tracks as he turned to face Tommy. He said he was going to give Tommy a chance of being a little. But Tommy wasn’t a little. He stopped a month ago. “I’m not a little Phil. There’s no such thing.”. Tommy let go of his hand. He was right after all. There was no such thing as being a little. Tommy’s father had called it being mentally stupid or something like that. And his father was always right.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy you do know being a little is valid. Even if you're not one it’s still a thing. I had a friend back in high school who regressed.”. Tommy looked at Phil. Scanning his face to see if he was lying. But then again why would Phil lie? He had nothing to gain from it. Tommy was going home the next morning. Even if Phil was planning to be rude about it it’s not like he was going to stay for much longer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy thought the words over. His father wasn’t here at the moment. His father would never know. And Tommy would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy when Phil stayed with him when he hurt his nose that one day. Tommy basically shrunk in his spot. The words that came out were ones he never thought he would say. “So your find if I regressed?”. Phil just smiled. “It’s why I’m here. I promised, remember.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy felt a bit embarrassed. He never had regressed on purpose in front of anyone other than his parents. And look how that turned out. Phil wasn’t though. He was accepting and went out of his way to make sure Tommy wasn’t stressed throughout the trip. Before Tommy had even regressed Phil had made him comfortable. Asking what Tommy is alright with and what Phil could do to make it funer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ten minutes later Tommy was on the ground. Playing with Melvin as Phil watched. Tommy hasn’t regressed properly in a month. So he was quite small. Be babbled not actually speaking words. Phil could guess he was one or even younger. It wasn’t that hard to keep Tommy entertained. When he got bored of Melvin Phil pulled up a kids story on the internet to read to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy cued as he looked at the pictures pulled up on the phone. “Ya Tommy that’s a robot.”. Tommy leaned against Phil. Phil wrapped his arm around the other. Tommy was sucking his thumb as he held Melvin in one hand. Phil kept reading. Tommy’s parents had never read any stories to him. They had mostly left him alone when he regressed. Only being there when Tommy had to eat food. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy wiggled in his spot uncomfortably. Phil turned his head away from the phone. “What is it Tommy?”. Tommy started to whine. Phil wasn’t going to get an answer. Being a baby was fun and stress free. But did come with no talking. It’s not like Tommy could control how old he was going to be when regressed. The first week of trying not to be little was hell. Spending nights crying silently in his bed asking for Clem.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The only reason Tommy got out of that was because he started to cut himself. Feeling stressed? Cut. Crying at night because he can’t get to sleep. He cut for that too. And then the worst one. Feeling little and like a baby? He sliced into his leg. Yes he was physically a sixteen year old. But mentally was much, much younger. And that young child cut himself. Just so the pain could push him out of little space. Which just resulted in him being stressed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s whining worried Phil. Tommy moved from how he was sitting before. Tommy went into a crawling position. Making sure his things were off the ground. Phil saw this and was confused. “Tommy are your legs hurting you?”. Tommy but relaxed onto his stomach. He put Melvin in front of his face. The pain had seemed to calm down. But that didn’t help Phil’s concerns.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wanted to check what was wrong. But that was overstepping it. Wasn’t it? If Tommy’s legs hurt he would have told Phil or Wilbur. And Phil was pretty sure taking the pants off of a physical sixteen year old just to check his legs was very much illegal. The door creaking opened and snapped Phil out of his thoughts. Had he not locked the door!? Phil watched as a tall figure walked into the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Tommy Tubbo wanted to see if you were going to come downstairs-“. Dream stopped mid sentence. Tommy was babbling as he waved Melvin around. Sucking his thumb in the process. Phil was sitting down beside him with his phone off to the side. Which Dream could definitely see had some kind of kids book popped up on it. Dream looked in between the two. Tommy didn’t seem bothered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Obviously too far into little space to realize that Dream being there was a bad thing. Tommy looked up and smiled. “I uh. I can explain.”. Phil stood up. He knew this wasn’t his secret to tell. But he needed to make sure Dream wasn’t going to go off exposing him after Phil told him it was safe to regress here. “Please do.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dream sat beside Phil on Tommy’s bed. Watching as Tommy babbled away. “So he’s physically a teen but mentally a.”. Dream paused for a second. “Around one years old.”. Phil filled in for him. “And he does this to cope with stress?”. Phil only nodded. “So he’s like a baby stuck in a teen body?”. Phil turned to Dream.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A lot of people use regressing as a coping mechanism. Sometimes they can control it while others can’t. I’m pretty sure Tommy’s on the side of not controlling it. He slipped one time while we were here. It took awhile for him to be big again.”. Dream hummed. He understood. It would explain Tommy spacing out some times. Dream had started to get concerned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But maybe it was Tommy just trying not to slip. Tommy just rolled over on his back as he continued to play. Dream got the right idea of him hiding something. But it was the wrong secret. Dream and Phil stayed with Tommy until he came out of Little space. The two had to explain why Dream was there but in the end it was all good. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day was quite peaceful. Even Sapnap and George were behaving themselves. Dream made his way to his room with Wilbur. Wilbur was sitting on his bed on his phone. Dream let out a yawn as he got ready for bed. The pillow never felt so comfortable. Closing his eyes he went to sleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The morning after was hectic. Everyone was rushing to check out before they had to pay for the extra time in the rooms. Dream and the others were staying for two more days. They had rented a cheaper hotel room to share. He had no idea what Techno was doing but he knew he was staying with Wilbur. “Everyone have their stuff?”. Phil said pointing it more towards the two teens of the group.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya!”. “Of course.”. Dream smiled. They were already frowning. Staying close to each other like they were never going to see each other again. Tubbo got picked up first. Tommy and him had a long hug. Mostly because Tubbo just wouldn’t let go. Then Tommy got picked up. He put his suitcase in the trunk. He never greeted his father. He just got in and yelled goodbye to everyone else. Dream couldn’t put his finger on it. But it felt wrong somehow.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The drive wasn’t the thing bugging Tommy. The silence was normal. It was the fact that he had Melvin hidden in his suitcase. Was his father going to find him? Was he going to get caught? Tommy went to press his thigh but stopped. After regressing and having both Phil and Dream there it made him feel happy. It let the stress out without there being any pain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy liked it. He knew he couldn’t do it again. Tommy pressed down on his thigh as pain flared up through his body. Tommy gritted his teeth not wanting to make a sound. He needed to focus on something other than himself getting caught with Melvin. He wanted Melvin. To hold the moth stuffie. He needed to imagine it was real. Just for a second. That he was going to be okay.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They pulled up into the driveway after the long drive. “Get your stuff out of the trunk.”. Tommy’s father demanded as he put the car in park. Tommy stopped pressing down on his leg. The pain was normal. It stopped being painful an hour ago. Tommy nodded as he got out of the car and got his stuff. Walking into the house Tommy was being held by his mother.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You were gone for so long! I missed you!”. She smiled at her son. Tommy smiled back. “I missed you too.”. The old you, he wanted to say. The woman who would yell back at her husband when he got out of line. Ya, that woman was gone. But that just made Tommy feel more guilty. It was his fault she was like this now. “Oh you have to tell me everything! You must have had a blast.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s mother walked him to his room. Tommy put his suitcase on the bed as he kicked his shoes off. “It was amazing! They had a rock wall and we even went to sky zone!”. After not hearing his mother talk back he turned to face his bed. His mother had started to help unpack his stuff. She held Melvin in her hands. She looked up at Tommy. He’s breaths hitched. “M-mom I can explain-“. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could finish his sentence Tommy’s mother shoved the stuffed animal into his arms. “Hide this. Don’t let your father see.”. Tommy only nodded as he could see his mother look behind him. Like a look out for a criminal. Tommy quickly hid the moth plush in his school bag. “Sorry.”. He whispered. His mother walked to the door. Not even looking at him. “Don’t say sorry to me. You're the one who would get in trouble.”. She whispered as she left the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy didn’t want to cry. So he didn’t. He held it in. His mother was disappointed, he could tell. Why was he like this? Such a fucking disappointment! Tommy stood up from his school bag and went to finish unpacking. Tommy felt like shit all through the day. He was shitty, wasn’t he. At dinner his mother couldn’t even look at him. His father talked like it was nothing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So your teachers called while you were out.”. Tommy straightened up at that. He looked at his father. “You’re missing four assignments from English and five from math.”. Tommy’s father put down his fork. “If I knew you were falling behind I wouldn’t have let you go out with your friends.”. Tommy didn’t reply back. “Until your grades get better you are not seeing them again.”. “What!”. Tommy stood up from his chair.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t do that!”. Tommy’s father matched him as he also stood up. “Yes I can, I'm your father! Now fix that audited before I fix it for you.”. The older man growled out. Tommy looked down, shutting up completely. “This is bullshit.”. Tommy whispered. “What was that young man.”. Tommy backed up from the table. “This is bullshit! I don’t understand half the shit they tell me to do!”. “You're the one who wanted to go to college! So figured it out!”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy stopped talking. He was right. Tommy was the one who wanted to go. So he left. Back to his room. Not one of his parents stopped him. He closed his door as he sat on his bed. What was he doing with his life? Tommy groaned as he hid out in his room. He needed to get his crap together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That night Tommy found himself in the bathroom once again. Sitting with a razor in his hands. His thighs exposed. The skin was numb. It had been a couple days since he cut last at the hotel. Tears refused to fall. Tommy wanted nothing else then to regress. To be a child once more. To be called a mama’s boy. To have someone hug him. To have someone...read story books to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked at his phone. He picked it up. His phone in his right hand and his razor in his left. Tommy went into discord. His thumb hovering over the call button. His left hand gripped tightly on the razor. He had to choose one. He had school on Monday. He had to walk in with all his assigned assignments not done. He had to face his teachers as they told him he was failing two of his classes. Again. He had to hide Melvin from his father.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was disappointment. He knew that. The answers to his problems in both hands. One right and one even more. Tommy looked down at his legs. It was gross looking. All those cuts on his legs. But he didn’t think like that. Every cut meant another day without age regressing. Every scar screamed that he was powerful. That he was in control. That his life was forever going to be led by blood and pain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy shut his phone off. He put the blade to his thigh. And he cut. This was the right answer. He told himself that. But he stopped when his phone rang. Wanting to be answered. He had only made one cut though. And it hardly hurt. Tommy turned to look at who was calling him. It was off discord. The name popped up. “Tubbo…”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked at the decline button. It was so easy. Just click it and continue with cutting. “Hello?”. He had answered. “Hello Tommy! I just wanted to say goodnight.”. Tommy smiled as he put the razor blade to the side. He didn’t need to cut tonight. Tubbo was calling him! It was enough to make him forget all about school, his parents and the need to cut. What was a razor blade compared to his best friend anyways.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fucking nothing! Tubbo talked to Tommy. Not even knowing how much Tommy needed him in that moment.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’ve seen people commenting on this story. I am so happy I can bring joy with my writing. Tommy is back at home and he’s already feeling worse. Good thing Tubbo wanted to call before bed. Oh and go Melvin! Cute moth thingy.</p>
<p>See you next chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Freedom so close</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy walked. That’s all he really did in the mornings. Get drove or walk to school. So today he was walking. It was the perfect weather. Sweater weather. Tommy could see the kids walking passed. All smiling and laughing. He stopped walking as he saw his English teacher. “That bitch…”. Tommy ducked behind a bush. He watched as his teacher said hi to students.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But not him. That asshole wasn’t going to catch him. Not today, not tomorrow, not any day. So as a big group of kids walked passed he joined the group. It was pretty big so no one talked to him. Once inside Tommy scanned the halls. He was going to get to science without getting caught by his English and math teachers. Tommy quickly made his way to his locker. Opening up his bag his face paled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There inside was Melvin. Tommy had totally forgotten he shoved him in there. Tommy looked around quickly before pushing the soft plush into his locker. He got what he needed and locked up his locker. Looking around Tommy headed for his first class of the day. And it was his favourite. Editing. Walking through the doors he could see his face teacher setting up for the class.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning Tommy.”. She said without even looking up. “Good morning!”. He greeted as he took his spot up at the front. She smiled at his bubbly attitude. Soon the class filled up. Tommy took out his notebook. It was organized like you wouldn’t believe. It was colour coded, had a table of contents that he regularly updated and was neater than anything else Tommy owned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was a smart kid. And all his teachers knew that. So it made them even more mad at him when he </span>
  <span>accidentally</span>
  <span> didn’t do his homework. The day went by without problem. All until lunch. Tommy was walking down the hall to go to the cafeteria when he heard a shout from behind him. “Tommy!”. He whipped around to see his English teacher. A frown plastered on the mans face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tapped his foot on the floor. “Mind explaining why I haven’t got any work from you in a month”. His teacher walked up to him. He looked at his teacher. His heart started to race. Without thinking his feet moved. He sprinted down the hall. What he didn’t think was going to happen is his teacher ran after him. Down the halls. Tommy was more good with turns as his teacher was faster. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His teacher called after him. A bit of concern in his voice. Tommy soon made it to the cafeteria. With his teacher right on his tail. Luckily the room was packed and Tommy quickly lost the fucker. So he hid out in the bathroom. Tommy collapsed onto the floor. Trying to catch his breath. After that how was he supposed to go back to class? Tommy pulled out his phone checking the time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Two hours of school was left after lunch was over. He could hide out. Tommy’s chest rose up and down. A small smile on his face. He could easily skip class. His parents wouldn’t notice. His teachers probably would give up. He could do it. He could just fucking leave to stress filled halls.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So he did. He got Melvin from his locker and fucking ran.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy breathed heavily. Footsteps rang out against the concrete of the sidewalk. He felt free. Like a bird that had left the nest for the first time. Seeing a park in the distance Tommy went there. He sat on the grass. No kids as they were all at school. Only parents with their babies or dog walkers around. Tommy breathed in the fresh air. For some reason it was better than he had remembered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sun sat right above them all. A small sting snapped Tommy out of his glee. His thigh didn’t like the small cut he had made last night. And for the first time it didn’t fill him up with happiness. The memory’s of why he had his scars to begin with popped up in his mind. Tommy took off his backpack and laid down. The chilly air poked fun at Tommy’s cheeks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They turned a bit red. The feeling was however, welcomed. It made him feel something other than pain. Just, freedom. He didn’t care that people would look at him weird. He didn’t care that he might be kicked out of the park. He didn’t care that his throat would hurt afterwards. He just screamed. At the top of his lungs. Into the light blue sky.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>People did turn their heads but didn’t tell him off for it. You could hear the pain being let out. The pent up stress and anger being let out to the universe. After he was done Tommy let in a big breath. He felt like he could do anything. Why should he suffer through life? Life should watch out. As Tommy wasn’t going to put up with its bullshit anymore. He had stayed in that park for a long time. The sun started to set.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sky mixed with reds, oranges and yellows. Maybe even a little bit of pink. His phone range. Looking down at it he saw that his mother was calling him. Tommy frowned at the site. Looking at the time he stiffened up. It was three hours past he was supposed to be home. A bit of sadness came with it. Why didn’t his mother call earlier?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking his head Tommy got his bag and stood up. He answered the phone. “Tommy! Thank god you picked up. Your father is upset, you know. The school called saying you weren’t there. We gave you time to come home but you never showed up.”. Tommy started walking. “Your father was rummaging through your room. He didn’t find anything. But he wants you back.”. “Put him on the phone.”. There was silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could hear as his mother got closer to the man. The cursing was heard loud and clear. Tommy looked back and forth as he crossed the road. “Tommy! You fucking brat! Come home now or I swear to god-“. “Shut the fuck up.”. Tommy hissed as his father almost burst his eardrums. He was way too calm for just telling his father to shut up. “What did you say to me, young man.”. The older man growled through the phone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy kept walking on the concrete sidewalk. “I said shut up.”. Tommy then hung up. He stopped for a second. Looking at his phone. Had he really just said that? It didn’t matter much anymore. Life was playing his game, he wasn’t playing it’s. The walk was quiet. Like it was before a storm. He had to be crazy. Going home after he had said that. Tommy made it to his house. His mother stood at the doorway.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked up at the sky. Taking one last breath of fresh air. “Tommy come inside.”. His mother told him. He looked at her. She looked tired. He did what she said. Tommy walked inside his house. His obsidian prison. His mother pointed down the hall. “He’s in your room.”. Tommy only nodded. He walked down the hall. He came up to his door. It was open. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His father got up from the bed and walked closer to Tommy. “Don’t tell me to shut up.”. He growled out. “What the fuck it this!”. The older man pointed to the stacks of work he had not done. “School work.”. Tommy said. He didn’t care about it much. He was going to college for editing. Why did he need to learn more math and English?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The soft tone Tommy used seemed to just anger his father. Because without another second he was pushed into the hallway wall. “I’ve done so much for you! I’ve made sure you got into a good collage! You had a house to sleep in! And I made sure you didn’t grow up to be a ducking child!”. Tommy’s eyes widened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sentence, he’s sixteen, popped into his mind. “I’m not eighteen.”. Tommy breathed out. “Speak up Tommy!”. Tommy looked his father in the eyes. “I’m not eighteen! I am a child!”. Tommy was swiftly shut up when his father punched him across the face. “Don’t talk back to me!”. Tommy wanted to yell. Tell him to make up his mind on what he wants. But his mother beat him to it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alexander! Stop it!”. “Shut up Lizzie! Sometimes a boy needs to be put in his place!”. Then there was it again. Another punch. This time to the gut. Tommy’s mind went hazy. The screaming faded out. The pain wasn’t welcomed. Not like his razor blades. His father did more than hit him. He </span>
  <b>beat</b>
  <span> him. Tears poured out of his eyes. He pleaded. Pleaded to his </span>
  <span>father</span>
  <span> to stop hurting him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tasted blood. Tommy had bit his lip. He didn’t know how long he was beat for. But after it was done he was dropped to the ground. “Next time you get out of line I’m not going to go easy on you. Fucking disappointment.”. Tommy curled in on himself. His father walked off. “Tommy...my…”. She stopped before she said baby. Tommy looked up at her. His mother. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She covered her mouth. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”. She wasn’t serious was she? Tommy sat up. His mother reached out to touch his shoulder. “No!”. Tommy flinched back. “I’m sorry.”. Tommy didn’t care for her apology. She didn’t need to. He did this. Why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut. Tommy looked up at his mother. He tried to smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay m-mom. Look.”. Tommy coughed as he spoke. He wasn’t okay at all. “I’ll start a warm bath for you okay.”. She stood up and went to the bathroom. Tommy stayed there. On the floor. Why did he need to talk back? He imagined the blue sky he sat under. The cool breeze on his cheeks. The soft grass under him. He let out more tears.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy laid in his bed. He should be at school. But his father took his anger out on him that morning. So he laid in his bed. His thighs burned. His arms burned. The door to his room creaked open. Tommy sat up quietly. Holding back a hiss as his cuts screamed at him not to move. He let out a sigh as it was only his mother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>She carried books and papers in her hands. “Ready for school?” Tommy nodded. He sat in front of his mother as she taught him basic things. Tommy couldn’t help but look at her eyes. She wore a black eye. The two worked together as a team. Since that Monday a month ago. If one broke so did the other. If one did something bad both got hit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy never stopped streaming. It brought in money. Money that would pay for makeup. So he could cover his and his mother’s bruises. After an hour his mother left. Leaving him alone once more. At days like these it was better to stay in his room, better to stay quiet. But he couldn’t. Today was a lore stream. It wasn’t for a bit so he just sat on his bed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy wouldn’t admit it but the only thing keeping him sane was Phil and Dream. The two knew of his regressing secret. He had never done it since they met up but he told them he did. Told them he was fine. He was such a liar. The time went by. Closer and closer to streaming. So he set up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had no injuries on his upper body so it was fine. It was fine when he joined the SMP. It was fine when he pressed to start the stream. It was fine when others joined. It was fine. He was fine. Everything was fine. He was loud and looked happy. Until he was too loud. “Tommy!”. The yell broke through the headphones. The others laughed. As his parents would sometimes break an emotional scene to tell Tommy to get his chores done.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But Tommy knew this scream. Tommy turned his face cam off. The chat went by quickly. All saying FatherInnit. The door opened. “What have I told you about being loud!”. Tommy froze in his spot. Don’t talk back. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t seem like you're fighting back. Don’t make the man mad. Tommy hung his head low. “Tommy you okay?”. The voice of Ranboo popped up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then Tommy thought. He didn’t press off on his mic on discord. Only on his stream. Before the teen could do anything he was slapped right across the face. It was loud. And EVERYONE heard. “Hey Tommy you okay mate!”. “What was that sound?”. “Was that a slap?”. “Tommy?”. “Tommy what happened?”. Too many people were on the call. Too many people heard. “Keep it down before I fucking give you a reason to scream like that!”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His father turned and walked out of the room. “Was that your father!?”. “Tommy did he just slap you!”. Tommy was frozen. Ranboo, Wilbur, Techno, Phil, Dream and Sam were all in the call. They heard. Why didn’t Tommy just click the mute mic button.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have to go.”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>TommyInnit ended stream</b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I might have rushed that a bit....but I really wanted to start work on the next chapter. So you got this! Yay! Hope you liked reading. Put your bets down on what’s going to happen. The ending is drawing near and it’s not going to be easy to guess what it is. I do like my mystery’s.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. I’m A Big Man Now</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy held his cheek as he stared at the computer screen. How could he be so stupid!? To forget to turn off his discord mic. Tommy’s phone buzzed with notifications. He didn’t look at them. Tears fell from his eyes and onto his cheeks. Tommy turned his notifications off and sat on his bed. They couldn’t do anything. Phil and Wilbur can’t do anything. There was no proof and Tommy could easily lie about what happened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy nodded his head to himself. That’s what he’ll do. He’ll lie about what happened. He stood up and started to pace his room. What could he say? That he and his father were joking around? That might be too simple but it would have to do. Tommy pulled out his phone. All he did was stare at it. Who would he text? What would he say? After two hours he clicked on a name.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>—————</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tommy</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hello.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy what happened. Are you okay? You left so fast.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tommy</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m fine Phil. My dad was watching something on his phone. He came into my room to ask for help not knowing I was streaming. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy we heard a slap. Are you sure you're alright?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tommy</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m sure. Like I said my dad was watching something. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>—————</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And so the conversation went on. Phil kept asking if he was sure. Tommy kept saying he was. After he was done texting he made a group chat with everyone who was there. He quickly sent a text explaining what he had said to Phil. Tommy put down his phone and laid back on his bed. A tear slid down his cheek as he began to break down. Tommy gripped onto his arms. He had started to cut there too. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He pressed down on them as pain went through his body. He can’t do this anymore. He fucking can’t! Tommy looked over to his backpack. Tommy sat up. Snot and tears all on his face. He was a disappointment. He was a bad kid. </span>
  <span class="u">
    <span>He</span>
  </span>
  <span> was the problem. Tommy looked at the clock. It was an hour before dinner time. He wiped his face with his long sleeved shirt as he stood up. To fix a problem you have to take out and replace the broken pieces.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy began to pack. If he never got in trouble his mother wouldn’t get hit. Tommy looked at Melvin. The moth sat at the bottom of his bag. The words that Techno said rang in his ears. Melvin was supposed to help. He was supposed to make things better. And they did for a little bit. He gave Tommy the feeling of safety. But in this house all he is is a bomb. One waiting for his father to find and blow up over.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy continued to pack. When dinner came he ate food. Quietly. He needed to be quiet. Tommy’s parents talked like nothing was wrong. Tommy looked towards the door. He wanted to go to it. To walk out and never come back. But he stayed in his spot. It wasn’t the right time. Not yet. But soon. After dinner was done Tommy helped wash the dishes. Then after he went to his room. Quiet. Everything was so, so quiet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He pretended to go to sleep. He stayed awake as his parents went to bed. That’s when Tommy got up. He unplugged his phone and shoved it in his bag. Tommy quickly got dressed in warm clothes and got his money out of his piggy bank. He put his backpack on and left his room. The floors creaked below him. He just needed to make it to the door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One foot after the other. But with each creak was another beating waiting to happen. Tommy passed his parents room. Going slower than a dead snail. He finally made it to the front door and slipped his shoes on. Tommy took out a long note he had an hour before written. He tapped it to the door before turning around. The house was quiet. Nothing moved. But he could remember everything that went on inside this prison.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like the time a kids show popped up on the tv and he was too slow to change the channel. His throat hurt for a week after that fight. Or the time where Tommy cut his beef into little bits for himself. He got a wicked slap for that one. Or the time where his mother fought back...Tommy shook his head at the memory. He turned back to the door and opened it. He walked out. Never turning back once. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He ran. Like that day a month ago. When he felt free. Instead of the beautiful sun and cool breeze he was met with the gorgeous moon and freezing temperature. One foot in front of the other. He turned down the street. Then another. And then another. Tommy could see his breaths. His arm stung at the cold air up against it. No one was around at this time. The only sounds were the occasional car and his feet on concrete.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy began to slow down. He didn’t know where he was. But he never stopped. The further he was from home the better. He guessed it wasn’t home anymore. More like the place he onced lived at. He looked around. Tommy soon spotted a bus stop. He took out his wallet and checked how much change he had. After checking he walked up to the bus stop. Looking at the buses that were working right now there was only one. He didn’t pay attention to where it went. Only noting that it went further away from where he once knew. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sat down at the bus stop and waited. He counted how many cars passed. There weren’t many and it kept his mind off of things. So he just did that for thirty minutes. The bus soon rolled up and he got on. He paid with his coins and went to the back of the bus. It was empty besides there being one another man. Tommy’s eyes became heavy. He looked out the window. Watching as the trees swayed back and forth. He was really doing this.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was running away. Tommy figured he could probably get a job at some cheap fast food place. But we’re was he going to sleep? There in the bus apparently. His eyes closed from being awake almost all night. Sleep was a hard thing to fight. And in every battle Tommy lost. Sleep was like a monster who pretended to be a friend. Right before grabbing you into the darkness of dreams. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil sat at the table. Looking over the conversation he had with Tommy last night. Kristen was setting out plates for the two of them. “You still worried?”. Phil turned to his wife and nodded. “He was off yesterday. You don’t know him like I do Kristen. Something is not fitting right.”. She just nodded. She walked over to Phil and put a hand on his shoulder. “From what you have told me there’s nothing we can do. All you heard was yelling and a maybe slap.”. She sounded defeated.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just like Phil she liked the kid. She knew he was smart and kind. Maybe not as much when he was streaming but definitely in real life. And the thought of a parent slapping their child enraged Kristen. But she was right. They could actually do anything without proof. Phil put his phone away as he turned to her. He dragged her into a hug. “Maybe I’m overreacting.”. Phil admitted. Kristen just hummed. Not knowing what else to say. After breakfast Phil went into discord. Seeing a new group chat was made. It had Techno, Sam, Dream, Wilbur and himself added. He clicked onto it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>—————</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What’s this about?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well remember what happened yesterday with Tommy. This is everyone who heard. Well except for Ranboo.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sam</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I know I for sure didn’t believe him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So that’s why we have this. To get proof that’s something is going on.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m in. Tommy was definitely it himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Techno</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The kid is a bad liar. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How are we even going to get proof? A slap won’t show a bruise.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I didn’t think that far.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Techno</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bad planning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What if we try to get Tommy to slip up. Reveal that something bad is happening.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sam</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now how do we do that?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I might have an idea. Dream private chat with me for a bit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>—————</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil then talked with Dream. It took a while to plan things out. They had to act on this alone however. For they are the only two that know about Tommy’s other secret. Kids are blabbering messes. It made Phil feel icky to think about doing this but if they were all right. Then having Tommy out himself was the best way to getting him to safety. They just needed to get Tommy to regress over the phone somehow.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy was woken up by someone moving his shoulder. He squinted up to see the bus driver. “Kid you got to get off. My shift ended ten minutes ago.”. The man said harshly. Tommy suddenly became aware of where he was. Not in his warm and cozy bedroom. But in a bus on a random street. “Uh s-sorry!”. Tommy quickly grabbed his bag and left the bus. Getting off he looked around. He had no clue were the fuck he was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He rubbed at his tired eyes as he just started to walk in a direction. Tommy felt the nice cool breeze once more. It however felt much colder to him as he slept in a cold ass bus. Tommy’s back also hurt. Seats were never good for sleeping in. The thought of his back and how cold he was disappeared when his stomach started to rumble. Tommy looked around for anywhere to eat. His mouth started to water when he spotted a diner.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Walking up to it he could tell it was a good one. Tommy pushed open the doors and instantly fell in love. The smell of fresh pancakes, sausages, eggs, bacon and hash browns were in the air. Tommy looked at a free booth and walked over to it. He sat down and waited. It didn’t look very full as of now. Soon a woman walked over. “Hello there.”. Her smile was way too big for it to be real.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It actually wasn’t very creepy though. “Here’s our menu. Can I get you some water before you make your order.”. Tommy shook his head. “No thank you.”. She just nodded and walked off. Tommy looked at the menu. All the food sounded so delicious. His smile dropped as he saw the prices. He couldn’t afford this and food for tomorrow. Tommy looked around seeing people just having a blast and talking to one another.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His stomach rumbled again. He could wait until tomorrow, right? He was sure he read somewhere that people can go over a week without food. And he was just going to wait for tomorrow. So it was fine. He was fine. Everything was going to be fine. Tommy stood up with his bag and left the diner. His stomach argued but he didn’t listen. He just continued to walk. Tommy soon reached a park. He went to one of the benches and sat down.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It looked over the park. His phone dinged with a notification. Tommy froze. He looked at the name. “Tubbo…”. Tommy looked at it. He was once again put in front of two questions. One right and one even more. Tommy’s thumb floated above the answer button. He didn’t answer. The ringing soon stopped and he sighed. He looked over the park. On a bench. All alone. Tommy went to his music app and clicked a song.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He put in his earphones as he listened. No more music disks, no more pain, no for fighting and no more being controlled. He knew this wasn’t the Dream SMP. This wasn’t some story with a happy ending. At this moment he wasn’t TommyInnit, he was Tommy. But there he sat. On a bench listening to music. He ran away for his freedom. It was supposed to be a happy thing. But then why did he feel this way?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Why did he feel so horrible?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <b>~*(The note)*~</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey mom. I’m not coming back. I know I’ve been a disappointment and a loss cause. So it’s why I decided to run away. Don’t worry I packed warm clothes so I won’t freeze. And I took all my money from my piggy bank so I won’t go hungry for a few days. I love you. I’m a big man. Like you always wanted. So I can do this. Let me do this for you. Love you mom. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strike>
    <em>
      <span>Dad</span>
    </em>
  </strike>
  <em>
    <span>. Don’t call the police. If you do I will tell them everything you did. I know I deserved most of it but I know you would still get in trouble. You raised me to be a man and like every child they must leave the home. So I’m leaving. Take care of mom for me. Please stop hitting her. You shouldn’t be mad at her anymore since I’m gone. I don’t love you. Not like I love mom. So I won’t lie to you. I hope to never see you again. Goodbye </span>
  </em>
  <strike>
    <em>
      <span>dad</span>
    </em>
  </strike>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>-From Tommy</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Soooo how was it? I told ya things are picking up. Now we got Phil and Dream doing something in the background. How do you think Tommy is going to go about the real world? He’s alone because he makes himself. Before he answered Tubbo and it helped him not cut. Now he didn’t...</p>
<p>Hope you liked this chapter. See you on the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy laid down on the bench. His stomach growled and screamed for food. He didn’t give into the temptation. He needed to save his money. All the kids in the park were gone. The moon was just peeking up from slumber. It was cold. Tommy could see his breaths as they left his mouth. He was shivering. Why wouldn’t he when all he was way a semi decent coat? He missed school today.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>School was stressful but missing it just made Tommy feel horrible. But what was worse was the fact he only got two calls that day. One from Tubbo and one from Phil. Both of which he didn’t answer. Not one was his parents. He knew it was twisted thinking but he kinda hoped the police were called. That they were looking for him. Calling out his name to come home. To be a family again. If they did Tommy wouldn’t fight.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Because maybe this time it would be different. But there was no this time. It was just him laying in the cold. Holding his bag close so it wouldn’t be stolen. What was he going to do? He had freedom, sure. But he never knew freedom would be so cold. Tommy closed his eyes. He was too cold to sleep. And the monster of dreams didn’t bother to drag him in. So he was alone with his thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The ones who called for cuts to be made. The ones who told him he was going to be found and beat by his father once more. The ones that said his mother really was happy now that he was gone. A tear got passed Tommy’s guard. He wiped it away quickly. He had to stay strong. Tommy looked to his arm. The cuts called on him to squeeze them. To make his arm hurt like he’s been shot. But he was too cold to move. So he sat there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not another tear fell from his face that night. Or the next. Or the next. Tommy stood looking at the diner. Three dollars in his hands. He was pale and his eyes had large black patches under them. His head felt stuffy. So did his nose. Like he had got no sleep since he was on his own. Notifications went off on his phone. From Twitter, twitch, Tubbo, Phil, Wilbur and practically everyone else from the SMP. He’s been gone for three days.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No police. No food. No home to go back to. So he stood in front of the diner. The smell was suffocating. He didn’t eat yesterday. Only the day before that. And now he had three dollars to his name. He spent the rest on the bus and food. Tommy really thought what he had in his piggyback would have been enough for at least a week. But he’s to stupid to realize that that’s not how the real world worked. Tommy could practically hear Phil yelling at him not to call himself stupid.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man was always so nice. So caring. “Are you okay?”. Tommy was snapped out of his thoughts by a young man. Tommy looked over to look at him better. He was around the same height as him. Had shoulder high hair put up into a man bun. His black hair faded into a dark blue. “W-what?”. Tommy spoke once he remembered he had been asked a question. The man just smiled. “I asked if you are doing alright. You’ve been spaced out for, like, thirty minutes.”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy stepped back a bit. Had he been spaced out? Him? “That’s fucking creepy. Staring at someone for thirty minutes.”. The man’s eyes widened at that. “Oh no I wasn’t staring at you! I was at the building. But you never really moved. Then I noticed the time.”. The man began to ramble. “I was sketching the diner. It’s very good practice to draw and all. I uh, sorry.”. Tommy chuckled. “It’s fine man. I’m okay though.”. What a lie that was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His body seemed to want to out him today as his stomach growled. The two started at each other. Tommy’s face got a little bit pinker from embarrassment. “I think your stomach just outed you dude.”. Tommy scratched the back of his head. How was the best way to get out of this conversation? “Want to share a stack of pancakes? I heard they are wicked expensive here. And I always wanted to try them. Say there the best in the town.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy blinked surprised. Then blinked again. The man just waited there patiently. “S-sure. But I only got three bucks.”. The man just shrugged. “Works with me.”. It wasn’t weird, was it? To be sharing a stack of pancakes with a complete stranger. Even if it was their idea. Tommy didn’t have much time to think about it as the man walked inside. Tommy followed him to a booth in the back. They sat down across from each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Without much time to change his mind the man had already ordered. And now they were just waiting. Tommy’s eyes landed on the sketch book the other had. It was plain black that had the words, Sketch Book #11, written on it. “You any good?”. Tommy blurted out. He cringed at how loud the question was. The man just chuckled in return. “I hope so. Or else I wasted my money on college for nothing.”. Tommy tilted his head. College?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You pay to go to school to draw. Why?”. He really wasn’t filtered today was he. The man didn’t seem to mind though. “So I can make my own cartoon. I’m in my second to last year at the nearby art college.”. Tommy hummed in response. He didn’t think much of what he was going to do now that he’d run away. College feels out of the question now. “Are you going to school?”. Tommy nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“For video making and editing.”. The man’s eyes lit up. “Really!? That sounds so cool. I once had a friend you was interested in that stuff. She would talk nonstop about it.”. And Tommy learned quickly that the guy liked to talk. Maybe even more than Tommy did. Soon the waitress came with there pancakes and another plate. She sat them down and left. Tommy was so interested in the story the other was telling that he didn’t notice when the man put more on Tommy’s plate then they agreed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy dug into the food. Not seeing how he ate more than his share. And when it came time to pay the man used his credit card. “I thought we were splitting the tab.”. Tommy said wondering what had changed. The other just smiled. “Don’t worry. I think you letting me go on a rant was payment enough.”. Tommy tried to push what he had left into the others hands but he dodged it like a madman. “I have to go. Thanks for splitting with me.”. “But I didn’t even pay-“. And he was gone. Tommy looked down at the table and saw a card and note.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He picked up the note and read it. “I know that look when someone is hungry. You also looked a little young to be shivering out in the cold so I came to my own conclusion. A kid like you should be at home but home isn’t always safe. If you feel up to it call the number on the card. My dad works with a company to try and save teens from going homeless. I might be over stepping but you seemed like you would benefit from it. From Evean.”. Tommy sat back in his spot.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He took the card off the table. Like the note said it had a number on it. For teens who didn’t have a family or home to go back to. He shoved both items down deep in his bag. What the fuck!? Had he actually been that noticeable? Tommy looked around. The man, Evean, was definitely gone. When did he have time to write the note? Was he really that hungry to realize the other man had been writing something down. Tommy zipped up his bag and left the diner. He walked back to his bench. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was full of food but felt so empty. So embarrassed. He didn’t need others' help. He didn’t! Then his phone dinged. Tommy looked down seeing it was Tubbo. He clicked on the messages. Scanning them. The boy started out calm but when Tommy wasn’t answering he started to get more freaked out. Even over text Tommy could tell. After the second day Tubbo was pleading.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s heart broke. But he couldn’t call back. It was like a bandage right? Rip it off now. There’ll be less pain later. The sun was still up in the sky. It was mid day. He had nothing to do. And so his thoughts came back. He held in tears every time they called him a disappointment. He bit his lip every time they said he deserved to be beaten. He curled in on himself more and more as he told himself that he was alone. He sniffed as his head began to spin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He felt weirdly warm for being in such cold. With the sun setting Tommy began to feel worse. He had a stuffy nose since morning. But he had hoped being in such a warm diner would have helped. The sunset was pretty. Like the past three nights before. This would make his fourth sunset out on the bench. The pinks, reds, oranges and yellows swirled around beautifully. His head hurt. But he could feel pulling. Slipping.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like every night before he battled against himself. Now that his father was away from him his mind told him he could regress. That it was finally safe. But it wasn’t. Not in the middle of a park. Not when people walked the streets. He didn’t know them. And they didn’t know him. It wasn’t safe. It wasn’t safe, it wasn’t safe it wasn’t safe it wasn’t safe it wasn’t safe! Tommy almost broke his zipper as he ripped open his backpack. He went to the very bottom. His hand soon met plush and he brought it back out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Melvin was clapped in his hands. Tommy couldn’t regress. Not here. But Melvin could help. Tommy hugged the plush close. It not making it any easier to stay big. Tommy’s heart slowed, his head pounded in his ears. The sun was saying goodbye as it ducked under the horizon. No tears left his eyes. Tommy laid down on the bench. Melvin pulled up to his chin. The thought of Techno giving Tommy the plush popped up in his mind. It was like a tug of wars game against his mind. A part of him saying he could regress. And the other saying he couldn’t.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then his phone rang. Tommy pulled it up to his face. The light from it almost blinded Tommy. As he moved his phone away he accidentally clicked the accept button. “Tommy!”. A voice yelled out from the phone. Tommy couldn’t see who it was. But he could tell just by the voice. “Phil?”. He questioned. His nose was definitely stuffed. “Are you okay? You completely ghosted everyone. Did something happen?”. Tommy groaned at how loud the phone was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. I’m fine!”. He blurted out. Phil just hummed. Silence flowed between the two. Tommy couldn’t look at the screen, it was too bright. So he couldn’t see Dreams icon on the call. “You sure bud?”. Phil said softly. To softly…“cuz you can always talk to me. You know that right?”. Tommy made a hum sound. Not really wanting to talk. Should he just hang up? Pretend Phil hadn’t called. Go back to being broke and homeless. Tommy would if he was thinking straight. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But being more focused on staying big coupled with his pounding headache, he didn’t think very much about anything. “You're a good kid Tommy. A good boy.”. The words floated in Tommy’s mind. He hadn’t heard Phil talk like this since- “Do you have Melvin Tommy?”. Tommy looked down. He definitely had Melvin. “Hmmm, yep.”. Tommy said sluggishly. Phil and Dream counted on Tommy being tired. And he definitely was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Too tired to see what they were doing. For fucks sake he didn’t even know Dream was in the call! “You know I think Melvin would love it if you played with him.”. Phil suggested. Any hold Tommy had was ripped out of his hands by Phil. Little space one. “Melvin would like it?”. Tommy wasn’t too young. Phil could tell. Like he was holding back. “Ya. When was the last time you played with him?”. Tommy shrugged. Even though Phil couldn’t see it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After ten minutes Phil had Tommy where he wanted him. And so the hard part began. “Tommy?”. Phil started. The little hummed. He was quiet. Phil could tell he was moving himself and Melvin around. But he didn’t make a sound when playing with the animal. From what Phil knew of age regressing, this seemed off. Not the part of Tommy being quiet. But the whole thing in general. “Melvin doesn’t like liars does he.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy turned to the phone. Closing his eyes once again at the brightness. “Nu. That’s bad.”. Phil nodded. Even if the other couldn’t see. “Okay. Then can you tell me something. Has your father ever hit you?”. Tommy squeezed onto Melvin. “Nu!”. “Tommy are you lying? You know Melvin thinks lying is bad.”. Tommy squirmed on the bench. The cold winds picked up. The moon shined down on the boy now. The sun has left him behind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not anymore...I left.”. Tommy could feel shuffling on the other side. “What do you mean you left?”. Worry sank into Phil’s voice. Tommy however didn’t hear it. “Can’t say. Secwet.”. Tommy waited a bit. Phil was silent. Well, until he wasn’t. “Tommy did you run away from home?”. Tommy didn’t answer. By that time both adults in the call knew what he desperately wanted to hide. “Tommy can you do something for me?”. Phil was slow with his words.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tiwed.”. Toomy yawned out. “Tommy before you go to sleep can you click the orange button on the side.” Without thinking Tommy clicked it. “Okay thank you. Can you stay on call for me bud?”. Tommy whined. He clicked the end call button. He shoved his phone away in his bag. Not listening to the rings it gave off. He felt like shit. He was in headspace and didn’t know what to do. He had nothing to help him sleep. So he stared at the moon. Holding Melvin close.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After Tommy left the call Phil tried to get Tommy to pick up. “What the heck…”. Dream said after un-muting himself. He got the whole conversation on video. But neither adult thought Tommy had run away. Phil jumped from his desk and ran to get his shoes. He then put on his jacket because it was fucking freezing out. “Kristen I’m going to get Tommy!”. He didn’t even wait for his wife to answer back before he was out the door. He had gotten Tommy to send his location. And it didn’t look good.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Why was he in a park at this time at night!? Phil put the keys in the engine and started the car. He quickly called the one person who he thought could help. “Hello?”. Wilbur answered. Of course the man was awake. “I’m getting Tommy.”. Phil pulled out of the driveway. “And I have proof.”. He could hear Wilbur move around on the other side. “So we’re going to his house.”. Phil got onto the main road.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I'm picking him up from a park. Wilbur he ran away. Tommy fucking ran away and now he’s in the middle of a park far to close to our houses and to far from his own.”. Wilbur stopped moving. There was a long silence. “What do you mean he’s in the middle of a fucking park.”. Phil didn’t talk back. He looked at the location as he definitely ran a red light. “Wilbur I need to tell you something. I need you to be understanding.”. Phil heard a hum from the other man.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy’s what’s known as a little. I’m telling you this because I’m going to take him to your house. I don’t think he’s going to be comfortable with Kristen. So I can’t take him to mine.”. There was more silence. But then he could hear clicking on a keyboard. Phil turned into a parking lot and got out. He practically ran to the park. Not stopping for a second. A bench soon came into view. “Wilbur I see him. I’ll call you back.” And then he hung up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy!”. Phil called as he got close. He could see Tommy peak his head up from the bench. And holy fuck did this boy look terrible. Tommy’s eyes widened at seeing Phil. The thing that surprised Phil the most was how close Tommy was. It was a two hour drive from his place to Tommy’s. How did he get this far? Phil walked over calmly. Bending down he could see how scared Tommy was. It upset him. “It’s okay Tommy.”. The boy just squeezed his stuffed moth even closer to himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You're safe now Tommy. You're safe.”.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Two updates in one day! Yay! Phil fucking zoomed his ass out the door after seeing were Tommy was by the way. This poor baby boy was just laying there with Melvin. Imagine having your five year old alone in the middle of a park. Ya, sad. If you thought there was only going to be fluff after this your wrong. But also right. You just have to wait and see. </p>
<p>Hope your ready for the next chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. I Yell Into The Arms Of Someone Who Loves Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy sat in the back of Phil’s car. Phil’s coat was covering him. He clutched onto Melvin for dear life. Neither of them spoke. Even if Tommy was old enough to. After seeing Phil he was practically dragged out of his headspace. Only questions filled the boy's mind as of now. Tommy liked the warmth of Phil’s car. He didn’t sleep though. Only scanning the roads. The second Tommy saw the road to his house come up he swore he was going to jump out of the car and run for it. But the familiar road never came up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy could see Phil check on him from time to time. Yes Tommy felt safe with Phil. But it was extremely uncomfortable and stressful to be with the man. He was going to call his parents. He was going to send Tommy back to that he’ll hole! He couldn’t go back. Tommy can’t take waking up to his father being there anymore. And it scared Tommy to think of what he would do to himself if he did. If he was back at home.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The car stopped. Tommy looked out the window. This wasn’t his house...And it didn’t take very long to come here. Was this Phil’s place? Speaking of the adult, he got out of the car. He went to Tommy’s door and opened it. “You're going to get cold in there while the cars off mate. How about we go inside.”. Tommy looked at Phil. Scanning him for lies. Tommy got out of the car with his backpack and Melvin. While walking up to the house he could see a second car in the driveway.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil got up to the door and knocked. Did he forget his keys? The door opened faster than he'd ever thought possible. Tommy’s eyes widened at seeing who it was. Wilbur stood in the doorway. “Tommy!”. Wilbur launched forward pulling Tommy into a big hug. Tommy froze. Was this Wilbur’s place? Why was he at Wilbur’s house? A feeling of guilt washed over him. It was nighttime. Well around 1:00 so technically it was the morning. “Hello big man.”. Tommy greeted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur pulled back and stepped aside. “Come inside. It’s cold out here.”. Phil nodded while walking inside. Tommy followed. Wilbur closed the door behind the two. Tommy just stood near the front. Not knowing what to do. It seemed like the two adults badly wanted to say something. But they held their tongue. Tommy looked around the small house. His eyes stung from lack of sleep. It was hard to sleep on that bench. Not knowing if a murderer was just going to come out of nowhere. So it was safer to stay awake. Safer to be big. And safer to be away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy”. The boy in question looked up. Locking eyes with Wilbur. He was not tired. But for some reason seeing Wilbur’s face made him want to curl up and drift off to sleep. He seemed safe, warm and kind. Everything that his own parents weren’t. “Y-you hungry?”. They were definitely worried. Tommy could see it was clear as day. Tommy’s stomach growled. The others didn’t hear it. “No…”. Tommy didn’t want to take handouts. He was a big man! He can get his own food.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil shifted in his stance. It seemed like the others felt awkward, maybe? Tommy wasn’t thinking much to be awkward himself. “What about a warm shower? Your shivering.”. Was he? Was he shivering? Tommy looked down at his hands. His shaking and pale hands. Skin wasn’t supposed to look like paper. This brought white people a new meaning. “I’m fine.”. No handouts. If he needed a shower he would, what would he do? “No offence mate, but you smell like roadkill. Your showering.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil took Tommy’s hand. The younger didn’t fight it when the two adults pulled him towards the bathroom. He didn’t fight it when they turned the shower on. He didn’t fight it when Wilbur brought back some of his bedtime clothes for him to change into. He wanted to fight. But he lost the will when he saw Phil at his bench. Telling him that he was safe. “You can use anything in the bathroom to wash. And here's a towel for when you're done.”. Wilbur handed Tommy a fluffy pale yellow towel. He took it. Then the two left him alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked around the room. Then in the mirror. Who was that? It couldn’t be him. But when Tommy moved his hand so did the person in the mirror. The person was pale as snow. Dark purple circles underneath their eyes. Like he was punched in the face and got a black eye. He looked a bit skinny. But it wasn’t that bad. His hair stuck to his forehead from sweat. It was him, his body looked like that. A shiver went down Tommy’s spine. Maybe he really should take a shower.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So he shrugged his backpack off. Placing Melvin on top of it. Tommy took his shirt off next. Not even flinching at the site of the scars on his arm. They have all healed by now. And no new ones were made because he didn’t bring a razor. Tommy was tempted to see if Wilbur had one. But he quickly shook the thought away. It was Wilbur’s razor not his. Tommy then took his pants off. Then his boxers. He walked into the shower. It was warm. It was nice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He used Wilbur’s soaps and shampoos. Cleaning the dirt off. The hot shower helped him feel normal. His headache died down and his muscles relaxed. After finishing with the shower Tommy turned it off. Stepping out he grabbed the yellow fluffy towel quickly. He wrapped it around himself. It was so fucking soft! After drying off Tommy looked at the clothes laid out for him. Simple light grey pyjama pants and some black short shorts. Coupled with a white longed sleeved shirt. The shorts were clearly there because Wilbur didn’t want him to put his boxers back on. And frankly Tommy agreed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were better left off. To be washed for later. Tommy put on the clothes. He looked back at the mirror. He frowned. He still looked awful. Like a ghost. Tommy chuckled to himself. GhostInnit. A knock on the bathroom door brought Tommy back to reality. “You okay Tommy? You’ve been in there awhile now.”. It was Phil. His soft voice carried worry with it. Like he didn’t trust Tommy not to find a way to break out and run away again. Even though this bathroom didn’t have a window.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine.”. Tommy’s voice was dry, crackly and quiet. Which was the thing that scared Phil the most. Tommy walked over to the door and opened it. His stuff kinda just laid at his feet. He had shoved his clothes in his bag before getting into the shower. Phil smiled at seeing him all washed up. “Wilbur and I want to talk to you for a bit. You okay with staying up a bit longer?”. He looked at Phil. Was he going to call his parents? Tell him that he needed to leave and they were just making sure he was still breathing? Maybe Tommy should have accepted the food.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure. I don’t mind.”. It wasn’t like he was going to go back to sleep. Tommy bent over and picked up his bag and plushy before following Phil down the hall. It was a short walk. Like time itself wanted to get to the chase. Tommy found himself sitting on the couch. Both Wilbur and Phil stood in front of him. They looked at each other. Like they were having a conversation in their heads. Finally Wilbur spoke up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy how long were you out by yourself?”. The question made Tommy take a double take. Why ask about that? He just shrugged. “Three, no, maybe four...was it five?”. The babbling didn’t calm either adults. “What day is it?”. Okay now both adults lost their shit. At least it looked like they did. Wilbur looked like he wanted to commit mas murder while Phil’s worry turned up to an alarming degree. But the two never voiced their emotions. It was Phil’s turn to talk now. Being the calmer one of the two.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you feel alright?”. Tommy had to tilt his head at that. He felt fucking horrible all day. But was it that noticeable? “Fine. I feel fine.”. It wasn’t like his head was pounding or his nose was clogged up so much that Tommy felt like he wasn’t going to use it again or anything. Definitely not. He was fine. Phil walked over to Tommy. Not looking convinced in the slightest. He put his hand to Tommy’s forehead. “Tommy you're burning up. Please don’t lie to us.”. Okay now he felt a little bad. But they weren’t his parents. He could lie if he wanted to!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy swatted Phil’s hand away. “Hmm fine.”. Wilbur was now on the other side of the kid. Calmed down from his internal anger. “You look sick Tommy. I’m pretty sure you have a cold.”. Wilbur’s voice was soothing. Tommy found himself getting sleepier the more he talked. “I have no cold. Big people don’t get colds.”. Phil got up from beside Tommy. “I’ll get a thermometer.”. Wilbur just nodded. The statement made Tommy whine. His headspace was calling back to him. He pushed it away. Not now. Not in front of Wilbur.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He knew it would be an upwards battle when he saw Phil walk back into the room. With a dinosaur themed thermometer in hand. “It’s the only one I could find.”. Phil chuckled out sitting down beside Tommy. He instantly shut his mouth tight. No why he was going to get his temperature taken by Phil. No fucking way- “can you open your mouth for me Tommy. I’ll only take a minute.”. That soft voice of Phil was really going to be the death of him. “We need to make sure you are okay enough not to go to the hospital.”. At this Tommy’s mouth fell wide. Hospital!?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t something he said out loud. But Tommy hated hospitals with everything he had. People died there. Got told they had a lifelong illness there. Stick needles in arms. “I’m not going to a hospital!”. Tommy yelled. It was stupid really, to be afraid. It was a place where people got better. But fears never went away with logic. They were stupid fears. “Tommy calm down.”. Wilbur tried to help the now panicked half dead runaway teenager. Wilbur took Tommy’s hand in his. “We’re not going to take you if we know how high your temperature is. But if you don’t let us we have to.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy tried to move but he was smashed in between the two. One holding his hand and the other waiting to take his temperature. Tommy looked over at Phil. Slowly he opened his mouth so the man could put the thermometer under his tongue. “See it wasn’t that bad.”. Wilbur cooed. Rubbing small circles on his hand with his thumb. This was stupid. Tommy shouldn’t have come with Phil. He should have ran to the nearest bus stop and got even further away. If he could he would get out of the whole damn country.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After the thing in Tommy’s mouth made a small beep sound Phil took it out. Looking at it his shoulders relaxed. “It’s not that bad.”. Phil then got up and looked at Wilbur. Again having a conversation without even opening their mouths. Wilbur just nodded, also standing up. “Let’s get you to bed. You can use the guest room.”. Tommy was practically dragged out off the couch by Wilbur holding his hand. The younger whined. “You don’t have to give me a room. I can go back to the bench-“.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you dare say that.”. Wilbur snapped. He didn’t even look sorry for doing so. Phil stood watching the two. He didn’t look sorry for Wilbur’s outburst either. Wilbur put his hands on his shoulders. Making him face Wilbur straight on. “You're not leaving to go live outside like a wild animal. I'm going to take you to where you will be staying and you're going to go to sleep. You're going to get better. And so help me god if I catch you trying to run away I will wrap you in so many fluffy blankets your physical not going to be able to get out.”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur took a deep breath in. He wasn’t done. “You are under my god damn care now mother fucker. I will smother you and make sure you eat, drink and wash. If need be I will take you to a hospital if you don’t let me and Phil treat you. And if worst comes to worst I will pull the ‘we’re like brothers card’. Do you understand me?”. Tommy took a second. Okay maybe five seconds. To actually understand what Wilbur was saying. He was trapped here. To be honest he wasn’t that mad by it. His father never took care of him like this anymore.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If he got sick it was his mother that helped him. So it was a surprise to hear Wilbur shout at him with so much care in his voice. Not because he was mad at Tommy. But because Tommy said that he didn’t need to take care of him. That he could leave and not come back. “Oh Tommy...”. Phil walked closer. Rubbing his backs. Why was he rubbing his back? Wilbur’s eyes flickered with a bit of gilt. He took one hand off his shoulder and wiped at his cheek.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy could feel liquid slid down his cheeks. “It’s going to be okay now. Wilbur and I are not going to leave you alone. Do you understand? Did you understand what Wilbur said?”. Tommy slowly nodded. He let out a sob. A sob? Then came a sniffle. Well he tried, his nose was still clogged up. More tears came out of his eyes. He was crying. When was the last time he cried? Then in the silence out came a horrible sounding cry. A cry of pain, hurt, fear. It wasn’t like Tommy’s other yells.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t mad at the world. He was crying. Crying because someone finally told him it was okay to be taken care of. “It’s okay Tommy. Let it out.”. And so he did. Wilbur was probably going to get a noise complaint the next day. Tommy fell forward onto Wilbur’s chest. The other wrapped his arms around him. Tight. Like if Wilbur didn’t he would lose him. Phil was right there next to him. Hugging him from behind. Maybe it was going to be okay. And so he let it all out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m not even going to lie I started to tear up writing this. Tommy fucking let it all out! He definitely needed to. But the healing just began. Wilbur and Phil weren’t going to let Tommy do it alone. </p>
<p>See you next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Home Is Where Wilbur Is</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy laid looking up at the ceiling. For some reason it was more interesting then going to see what Wilbur was up to. Thinking wasn’t always a good thing when it came to Tommy being alone. It usually meant he was going to end up hurting himself. Tommy looked down at his arms. Covered by the long sleeves of the shirt he was wearing. It was quiet so it wasn’t a surprise when Tommy could hear Wilbur’s footsteps come towards the door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t want to talk to Wilbur. He didn’t want to see him. His head pounded and he was too hot. But when he kicked the blankets off he became too cold. His vision swayed from side to side like an evil dance. Mocking him for getting sick. He should have packed more warmer clothes. Tommy closed his eyes. His head felt full as dizziness came for him. “Tommy. You awake?”. Wilbur says softly through the door. He didn’t answer. He didn’t want to face Wilbur today. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not after crying all over him last night like a fucking baby. The door creaked open and Wilbur popped his head through. Tommy couldn’t see him though as his eyes were closed. Trying to chase off the dizziness that plagued him. “Tommy Toms~.”. Wilbur said in a singsong voice. He wasn’t having it. If you couldn’t tell Tommy wasn’t a morning person. Being sick wasn’t helping. Death could take him now and he would say thank you. He groaned and rolled over to face the wall. Wilbur walked over. He reached his hand out and rubbed Tommy’s back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry to wake you but you need to eat something. I also need to take your temperature.”. Tommy wanted to punch a wall. To do something. But he felt so weak today. So incredibly weak. Wilbur just continued rubbing his back. Trying to get him up with the utmost care. Tommy swatted Wilbur’s hand away. Rolling over back onto his back Tommy opened his eyes. “Morning Toms.”. He just huffed. He’s been awake for the past thirty minutes. Well if the clock on the wall is to be bereaved.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy didn’t feel like eating. Didn’t feel like getting his temperature checked. And definitely didn’t feel like being babied. “Fuck off.”. He spat out. Wilbur looked taken aback by the harsh tone. Tommy instantly felt bad. Why yell at Wilbur if it was his fault for getting sick? “Sorry…”. Wilbur just hummed. “It’s okay.”. He reached up to Tommy’s head. Placing his hand to see if he was heating up. The contract was nice. Tommy almost found himself leaning into the touch. But he held back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your fever is down compared to last night. How are you feeling? And don’t lie.”. He leaned away from Wilbur’s hand. “Fine…”. Wilbur just sighed. “Tommy I need to know your symptoms. Any headaches, dizziness, stomachaches, nausea?”. Tommy just bit his lip. He didn’t want to bother anyone with his problems. He can do this on his own! But then when he looks at Wilbur’s face he feels like he doesn’t need to do this alone. That he’s safe to be smothered. Then all that yelling Wilbur did yesterday about how he was here for him…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel dizzy…”. Wilbur smiled. Cupping Tommy’s cheek Wilbur turned his face so he could look at him. “What else.”. Tommy took a breath in. If he got better then Wilbur wouldn’t feel bad about him leaving. All he needed to do was get better. Then he could leave and Wilbur would be fine with it. “Head hurts. Feel cold but also hot? Can’t smell shit. Nose clogged.”. That’s all Wilbur seemed to want to hear. “So no stomach ache?”. Tommy just shook his head no. “So you can eat breakfast then.”. Wait, what!? “I-I’m not hungry!”. He tried to protest but his stomach had a mind of its own. It made the loudest gergle it the quietest room. Wilbur just burst out laughing. Tommy couldn’t help just laugh too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur’s laugh was always contagious. After the two calmed down the room became quiet again. Wilbur straightened up and walked towards the door. “Well I might be hearing things but I’m pretty sure your stomach disagrees Tommy. I’ll make some chicken noodle soup. Phil had to go home last night but he said he’ll be here later today. I’ll come get you when I’m done cooking.”. Wilbur looked back at Tommy with a smile. He didn’t give anymore time for Tommy to fight him on eating as he left the room. Tommy sat there by himself. This was going to be a long day wasn’t it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy sat at the kitchen table. Sipping away at the soup Wilbur made him. “It’s going to get cold you know.”. Tommy just grumbled as he looked down at the food. He didn’t want to eat and Wilbur wasn’t the best cook. He could swear Wilbur had somehow burned the soup. Can you even burn soup? It didn’t help that his head as pounding and trying to stay big just made it worse. He wanted to cry. Wanted to whine and thrash around so he didn’t have to eat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur was already done with his own bowl of soup and was just waiting on Tommy to finish his. Wilbur got up from his seat and walked over to Tommy. He took the spoon from him with a smile. A glimmer of home rang out. Maybe he didn’t have to eat Wilbur’s soup. The thought was short lived when Wilbur took the spoon and directed it towards Tommy’s mouth. “Say ah.”. Tommy blinked at the spoon. Then blinked again. What? He couldn’t do it. Wilbur was obviously joking. “Come on Tom Toms say ah for me.”. Wilbur chuckled as he said the words.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy couldn’t hold onto himself anymore. He slipped. Opening his mouth slowly he surprised Wilbur. Seemed like it really was a joke. But it didn’t stop Wilbur from putting the spoon into Tommy’s mouth. He swallowed and looked down at his hands. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Tommy’s cheeks flushed a light pink. If anything Tommy would feel better with Phil. Wilbur wasn’t going to take care of him like this. He was going to say to grow up like everyone else did-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good job Tommy! Now how about another one?”. Wilbur re-filled the spoon and put it near Tommy’s mouth. Without thinking Tommy opened his mouth once more. He was so so tired. He felt little and he couldn’t push it away. He wanted Melvin. Wanted to be held. He didn’t want this. To be the but end of a childish joke. Not by Wilbur. Tommy was sixteen. Not five, four or even two. He was a teen not a child. But he was tired. He didn’t want to fight anymore. In a war he couldn’t win.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay Tommy?” Wilbur’s voice was so soft. So kind and Tommy couldn’t hear his chuckle anymore. He frowned. Looked over at Wilbur as a tear slid down his cheek. Wilbur froze as he held another spoonful of soup. Tommy sniffled the best he could. He felt gross and awful. “...Tommy how old are you?”. All rationality was thrown out the window the moment he decided not to run out the door. It was so easy. Wilbur didn’t put any locks up on the doors. He could be already three towns over. But no, he was here.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm.”. Tommy couldn’t think right now. So he just shrugged. Wilbur seemed to unfreeze from his shock and put the spoon in the bowl. “That’s okay…”. He straightened up and shifted from foot to foot. “Phil can’t come over right now...ummm.”. It seems like Wilbur was talking to himself. “If what I looked up is true, you're small right now…”. What? Tommy looked up at Wilbur. Seeing that he was in his own head. “I think I got some of my nieces and nephews old sippy cups in the back.”. Wilbur looked down at Tommy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled and bent down. “How does that sound Tommy? You want a sippy?”. Tommy couldn’t register that Wilbur knew. He knew, who told him? He can't know. “Sippy?”. Tommy’s voice was slurred and slow. There was no coming out of little space now. Wilbur nodded. “Ya. Then we can play. I think the old toys are also with the sippy cups. I can grab some. Ya?”. He started to kick his feet under the table. Excited at the thought of baby toys. He never had baby toys before, well not past six years old.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur stood up and took the bowl of somehow burned soup. Putting it on the counter Wilbur then made his way back to him. “Let’s go to the living room. Come on.”. Without any warning Wilbur hooked his legs and arms over his arms. Caring him bridal style. Tommy didn’t struggle as he sat his head on Wilbur’s chest. Hearing his heartbeat was relaxing. It groaned Tommy. This was real. Wilbur was real. He wasn’t hitting him! Wilbur soon got to the living room and placed him down on the couch.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be back with some stuff. Sit tight.”. And with that Wilbur left. Tommy was curled up in the corner of the couch near the wall. Wilbur soon came back with a small box. Putting it down on the table Tommy could see so many things. Like a kids book, sippy cups and toys. Wilbur dug through the box and took out four different sippy cups. There were pale yellow, red, green and pink. Wilbur turned to Tommy and smiled. “Which one Tommy?”. He placed the four on his lap.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked down at them. Picking up the red one Tommy put it close to his mouth. But before he could put his mouth on it Wilbur took it. “Gotta fill it up first Tom Toms.”. Wilbur chuckled. He just pouted reaching his hands out. Doing grabby hands in the process. “I won’t be long. Here.”. Wilbur reached in the box and took out an old and patched up snail plush. He took it and looked at it. Wilbur put the other sippy cups back in the box and left. Tommy looked at the snail plush.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It definitely was old and worn down a bit. He couldn’t help but smile at it. The thought of Melvin crossed his mind. Melvin was his friend, his bomb waiting to go off. So many feelings for just one simple plush. He didn’t know how to feel about Melvin. Techno gave it to him for comfort. But all he did was get beat by his father for liking those things. Tommy held the plush close to his heart. Not now. He can think about that later. Right now he was with Wilbur. His friend. His brother.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Back.”. Wilbur called out as he walked into the room. Silly cup full of warmed up chicken broth. Tommy was still sick and needed to have something in his stomach that was healthy. So Wilbur did his best and got out the solid food only puting the liquid in the small cup. Sitting down beside him Wilbur handed out the small snippy cup. Which Tommy swiftly took from him. Tommy looked at the broth inside but put his mouth on the sippy cup. It made him feel nice. To just do this again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy could taste the chicken broth but it didn’t matter. So there he sat. Snail plush clutched in one hand and sippy cup in the other. He looked up at Wilbur for a second. Seeing Wilbur smile and watch him from where he sat. No judgment in his eyes. Then his eyes landed on Wilbur’s chest. His sweater looked so soft. It was the iconic yellow one. He didn’t think much before crawling over. “Need something buddy?”. Tommy didn’t talk back. Instead laying his head down on Wilbur’s chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuffy.”. Wilbur chuckled at the pronunciation of the word. Wilbur moved his arm over to bring the </span>
  <strike>
    <span>teen</span>
  </strike>
  <span> little closer. Cradling him at the side. Tommy just stuck his sippy cup back in his mouth. His head pounded, his nose was clogged, he felt like death himself was teasing him. But he was happy. Happy to be small, to be held, to know the hands wrapped around him are Wilbur’s and not his fathers. His eyes started to close slowly. Wilbur took the sippy cup from his hands and placed it on the table. Tommy fell asleep laying on Wilbur.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur sat still on the couch. He cradled Tommy and pet his hair. The poor boy’s fever wasn’t that bad. But it was still worrying. Knowing how long Tommy was out there didn't help. Over fucking three days! Why didn’t his parents call the police? Why didn’t he see the signs that something was wrong! Thoughts flew left and right in his head. A sickening feeling welled up in his gut. Phil had shown him the recording Dream took.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>How small and hurt he sounded broke him. He looked down to see Tommy’s chest rise and fall. He was safe now. He was breathing. It was obvious now that Tommy was being hurt. But even with the recording it wasn’t much information. They could try to go to court but it was a big possibility that Tommy wouldn’t testify. And how fragile he was now didn’t do them any good. They needed more proof. If anything was going to be done about the situation that is.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur squeezed Tommy’s hand a bit. Rubbing his thumb against the back of his hand. What made Wilbur want to throw up is how they didn’t know how he was being hurt. The obvious ones were emotionally and verbally. How this loud and excitement filled teen got like this, he didn’t want to think about it. Was he being hit? They all heard the slap on stream that one time. So that’s a yes. Was he getting punched? Kicked? Most likely. Was he being touched-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur shook his head at the thought. There was a possibility but he didn’t want to think about that right now. He looked over at the table to see the old box of stuff his sister left here like a year ago. He never got around to getting rid of it. All the baby stuff he had. He quietly thanked his past self for being so lazy. Or maybe he was just too scared to throw away the stuff. His sister said herself she wanted one more child. So maybe he was just keeping it around for the next child.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur had to quickly take the sippy cap from Tommy before he could put his mouth on it. It was old and needed to wash before use. Dust was everywhere in that box. Wilbur froze the second he felt Tommy begin to stir in his sleep. But it was nothing as Tommy was just getting for comfy. Wilbur looked down to see Tommy pop his thumb in his mouth. Sucking it to soothe himself. He definitely was more clingy when he was sick. Or was it because he was in his headspace? Is that what this was called?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Phil called him saying he found Tommy he was already getting ready to run out the door. To his surprise he was told Tommy was a little. Of course Wilbur did research the second he was told to stay at his place and wait. He wasn’t a master at it but he knew the basics. Enough to know that Tommy needed this. That it wasn’t some gross sexual thing like he saw on the internet sometimes. But an actual coping mechanism. One that brought the older brother out of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur took out his phone and looked at the texts he sent Phil. When he went to go wash the sippy cup and fill it up he had told him what was going on. Phil just texted back an okay and he’ll be there when he could. Looking back at Tommy a thought came to mind. All the baby crap was old, dirty and needed to be thrown out. Plus he was pretty sure Tommy sucking on his thumb was just going to make him more sick from it not being clean.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The kid needed his own things. Yes he had Melvin but he was sure that Tommy would appreciate different things. Like a baby blanket that was big enough or maybe even a pacifier. Wilbur had read that littles used adult pacifiers so to not fuck up there mouth. He went to his favourite shipping store and typed in some things. Did Tommy like colouring? Children always loved to colour, right? What about a baby bottle? Wilbur had no clue what to order. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So he kinda just ordered everything he thought Tommy would like. But no one needs to know that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>~*Wilbur’s search history*~</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What is a little?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What is a headspace?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What do baby’s like?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What to do if your friend is a little?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Big baby blankets.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What do baby boys like?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Can teens drink out of baby bottles?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>How to take care of sick teenagers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What are the best soups to give a sick person?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Best pacifiers for teens.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What to get a little.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Age regression stuff to buy.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay so here’s the next chapter! Fun fact, I wasn’t going to put Wilbur’s part at the end. I was going to put his part in the next chapter but didn’t really know what else to do with it. You know. Because he’s kinda trapped with Tommy laying on him. So I put it at the end here. Next chapter will start off with Tommy’s pov cuz I don’t know what to do with Wilbur. I also had fun just writing out Wilbur’s search history for some reason. When I go to Amazon to look at stuff I just see a bunch of searches for adult pacifiers and things because I share my Amazon with my older brother. (He age regresses by the way) so sometimes he’s my baby brother. He’s also helped me a bit with Tommy’s speech when he’s little. Even though I haven’t let him read my story. He found my account tho. So that’s something. I don’t know I’m just babbling now.</p>
<p>Hope you liked the chapter. Later!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Wilbur And Tom Toms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Phil don’t you dare-delete that!” A harsh whisper came out. Tommy stayed still. He was good at that. Staying still so to not be the centre of attention. He could hear the heartbeat of someone. Tommy had his thumb in his mouth. He was sucking on it. He felt safe. Why? He didn’t know. “Oh come on Wilbur. It’s cute. You have to admit that.”. A giggle rang out. Wilbur? Tommy shifted a bit and the giggling stopped. He could feel eyes on him. Someone’s arm was wrapped around his waist.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Opening his eyes slowly he looked up. Wilbur looked down at him with a smile. “Hello Tommy.”. He then looked out in front of himself groggily. Phil stood with a phone in his hands. Tommy still felt horrible. And what other way to show that then whining. Right? And so Tommy let a whine as he pushed himself more into Wilbur. If that was even possible. “Still feeling bad huh buddy.”. Phil sighed out as he put his phone away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Walking closer he put his hand to Tommy’s forehead. “Doesn’t seem as bad as yesterday. But it’s still a problem.”. Phil told Wilbur. The snail plush was still being held by Tommy. He didn’t want to let go. Like if he did he would be back home. Without a plush to hold and to cradle. Tommy’s mouth felt dry. He was thirty. Looking back up at Wilbur he let out another whine. Wilbur looked down once again. He was listening. “Sippy…”. Tommy said talking around his thumb. Wilbur nodded as he reached over to the table.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Phil can you fill this up with something.”. Wilbur handed Phil the red sippy cup. “Sure. Anything else in the kitchen you two want?”. Phil said as he walked closer to the doorway. Tommy just shook his head. Wilbur’s heartbeat was steady. It was real. It was calming. Phil nodded as he left the room. Tommy looked around. Taking his thumb out of his mouth he leaned away from Wilbur. He didn’t feel as small anymore. It wasn’t a bad thing and he was still in headspace. He just didn’t feel like a baby anymore. More like a toddler.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur looked over at him. A question hung in his mouth. Wilbur didn’t say it though. Tommy kept looking around. He was speaking something out. Something to play with. “Back.”. Turning his head Tommy could see Phil walk in. Some kind of juice in a red sippy cup. He lit up at the sight of it. So he reached his hands out and made grabby hands. “Juice!”. The sudden change in mood made Wilbur take a double take. “Your all smiles now huh Toms.”. Phil chuckled as he passed him the sippy cup.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy held it and looked it over. He popped it in his mouth and started to drink. It was apple juice. While sipping away at his drink he decided he didn’t like the couch anymore as he stood up. He walked to the centre of the room and sat down. Snail plush still tight in his hands. Looking over at the box he saw another plush. It was a pink fish. Grabbing it he looked the two items over. Wilbur and Phil just watched as he put the sippy cup to the side and began to play with the two toys.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seeming to not care that they were watching him. Phil walked over to the couch and sat down. “Last time I saw him regress he was a quiet ball of nerves. He seems so much more relaxed.”. Phil commented. Wilbur smiled. “Well that’s good. I have a question. How old do you think he goes to regularly?”. Tommy tuned the two out as he kept playing. He felt so happy just to play once more. He didn’t even notice he was babbling. “Nu Mr snail can’t go up there. But ms fishy I must climb to the top!”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two adults in the room almost died of cuteness. It wasn’t everyday you see the TommyInnit himself act like this. “Hey Tom. What’s going on with Mr snail?”. Wilbur spoke up as he got up and sat down in front of him. Wanting to be a part of whatever Tommy was up to. He looked up at Wilbur. His parents never cared to put themselves in the story’s he would create for himself. A small pink blush found itself to his face. Embarrassed to be the centre of attention. It wasn’t uncomfortable tho. It was nice…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr snail wants to twavel up the biggest twee! Ms fishy says nu! Cus to dangewous.”. Wilbur nodded content on just watching. But he had a different idea in mind for his friend. Grabbing the pink fish plush Tommy pushed the item into Wilbur’s hands. Testing his luck like any kid would do. “You're fishy!”. He recalled his now empty hand. He scanned Wilbur’s face. Looking to see if he had upset him. But he just got an excited smile back. “Alright.”. Wilbur cleared his throat. “It’s too dangerous to climb that high up Mr snail. You should stay in the ground.”. Wilbur put on the most ridiculous girly voice he could.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The voice made Tommy giggle and Phil burst out laughing. “But I can do it! I’ll be the fiwst snail to weach the twees!”. He said in all his childish glory. Wilbur played into the game. After a bit Phil got involved too. He played the tree. So with plushies and laughter the worry in the adults mind washed away. Tommy was safe and happy. All they needed to do was get him back to good health.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy sat in the living room. Watching the news to see what was up with the outside world. His phone sat charging after the long day of texting Tubbo. Telling him he was okay and safe. He had to show that he was with Wilbur to prove he was safe. Wilbur sat next to him. Anxiously checking the door every few seconds. Phil wasn’t coming over. So why the door checking? Tommy turned to the older. “What’s up with you?”. Wilbur’s head snapped back to look at him. “Oh I’m waiting for something.”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He raised a brow at that. “Something? Mind explaining Big Man.”. Wilbur bit his lip. Then turned back to the door. “It’s nothing. Just a package.”. He nodded. Tommy wasn’t one to push people when they were showing signs of anxiety. He turned back to the television. It was warm out. He gripped his waist. It’s been awhile. Since he let his feelings out through pain. Four days out in the cold and three with Wilbur. He’s been in Wilbur’s house for three days. Not one thought of running. It was weird really.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing really happened in these three days. He did regress once. Let himself be happy. It was wonderful, more than it should have been. Wilbur had dotted on him the whole time. He still felt a bit of a headache but everything else seemed back to normal. What was normal anyways? Was this normal? Crashing at your adult internet friends place? This wasn’t how life was supposed to be. He was supposed to be home. Going to sleep in his own bed as his mother kissed him goodnight.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His father wasn’t supposed to hit him, to call him a failure. Tommy gripped tighter on his waist. No pain came from the scars on his side. Long healed. A week since he’s cut. It was a new record. “Have you talked to my parents?”. He spoke up without thinking. Why was he thinking of them so much? He ran away for a reason. He could feel Wilbur’s eyes on him. They widened. “Have they contacted you?”. “No.”. Wilbur’s shoulders relaxed. It didn’t help the feeling in his chest. They should have contacted him. Called the police. Shown any sign that they still loved him-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, they haven’t called. May I ask why you asked?”. Wilbur was slow with his words. Like Tommy was a scared animal. “Parents call if their child runs away. That’s what’s supposed to happen.”. He turned to face Wilbur. He watched as Wilbur’s eyes became more and more pitiful. “But they never called me. Never left a message. What does that make me? Wilbur what does that make me?”. His voice cracked when saying the others' names. “Oh Tommy…”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur got up and in front of him. Squatting down Wilbur looked up at him. Holding both of Tommy’s hands. “It makes you someone that they never deserved. Someone who was too special to live with those people.”. Tommy thought over the words. He ran away. He wasn’t special. His father was bad, but his mother loved him. Took care of him. The words came out before he could stop them. He knew he shouldn’t have said anything. Keep it all a secret. But his mother wasn’t a bad person. “She wasn’t like him.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur looked confused. She? Tommy however continued. “She loved me. My mother loved me.”. He was done. That’s all he would say. But Wilbur knew there way more. So he tested his luck. “You ran away from them Tommy. She had to be just as bad as he was-“. “But she wasn’t! She was never like him! She called me her baby boy! She didn’t have a choice but to stay!”. Tommy stood up. Almost knocking Wilbur over. She wasn’t like him. She never hit him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The words went through Wilbur’s head. Wilbur stood up and locked eyes with Tommy. “Tommy, your father hit you?”. Wilbur knew the answer. But he just wanted Tommy to clarify. He didn’t want to. But he still nodded his head. No use hiding it now. Wilbur took a second. Tommy’s heart started to race. Wilbur was going to say how weak he was. To be hit by their father and not fight back. He looked to the floor. Wilbur was nice and let him regress. But he was still a man. And men hurt their children. It’s discipline.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How about your mother? Toms did she hit you?”. Tommy closed his eyes. Not doing anything but staying still. “Tommy if they hit you it’s not your fault.”. Wilbur walked over to where Tommy had walked off to. “She never hit me though…”. Now that was a surprise. Wilbur always thought they both hit Tommy. Seeing how he ran away in the middle of the night. “We both were hit...not just me.”. Tommy stood there. Silence. Wilbur didn’t speak. Nor did Tommy. He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut. That’s the problem right. He talked too much. Arms wrapped around Tommy. His head was brought to the chest of the man who he just told his secret to. Wilbur’s heart beat always grounded him. Knowing he was real. That this wasn’t some awful nightmare. “Thank you for telling me. For trusting me.”. Did he trust Wilbur? Or was his filter just that bad? Tommy looked up. Looking at his friend.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No problem Big Man.”. Wilbur scoffed. “I’m trying to have a moment with you!”. Tommy just backed up from the hug sticking his tongue out. “We had a moment the first night I came here! So more mushy feelings!”. Wilbur just smiled as he turned to the television. “You know it’s pretty warm out. How about we go for a walk?”. Tommy lit up at the idea of going out. “You're on! Be right back!”. He ran towards the guest room. Not seeing how Wilbur took out his phone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>—————</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>We have a problem.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What happened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Don’t tell me he ran away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No. I think it’s not just him</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sam</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What do you mean ‘not just him’. Who else?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I think MotherInnit was getting abused too. I got Tommy to admit it. But he said he and his mother were both being hit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Techno</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What do we do then? She won’t give her husband up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>We have to believe a mother will always choose her son.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sam</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So we make her choose.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Techno</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>We have to make sure Tommy is okay first. Before we bring her into this.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I agree with Techno. I’m sure Tommy is still hiding something.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m coming over.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Phil</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What mate. You mean on a plain?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes. I’ll be there by tomorrow.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Techno</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Count me in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sam</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Are you two serious?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Techno</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I am the most serious.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Dream</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Same here.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Wilbur</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You two are out of your minds.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*Dream and Techno have entered the country*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Maybe This Once</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy sat in his bed. Checking Twitter. Wilbur had gone off somewhere leaving him alone for a bit. He didn’t mind. He looked at all the posts about him. About how he hasn’t been streaming. Tommy bit his lip. He should really stop doing that. Streaming was something he loved. But all his stuff was back at home. With his parents. Who didn’t bother to even text him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>School was probably going to fail him. He would have to pay for an extra year of college now. He’s been lazy hasn’t he. Maybe he should have told the school he would be taking a break. So they could send him work that he missed. It was too late now. Tommy’s breath started to speed up. He’s been gone a week. A fucking week! He’s falling behind. He needs to upload to YouTube and stream and go to college. He really shouldn’t care much about those things. Not after running away. But Tommy couldn’t help the stress build up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like he would do before to relieve stress he reached for his thigh. No pain came. It was healed. He went for his inner arm near his shoulders. No pain there either. Tommy stood up from the bed and paced the room. His nerves somehow got turned up to one hundred. He waved his hands in the air to try and shake off the feeling welling up in his chest. He looked around. He didn’t pack razors. He was too focused on getting away to think about cutting. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And now look at him. He should have prepared more. Tommy clutched his chest. It was hard to breath. He wanted someone. He wanted Wilbur. Or even Tubbo! His friend's voice always calmed him. Distracted him. Kept him from doing harm to his body. But they weren’t here. He could wait right? For Wilbur to come back. To hug him. No he wasn’t going to wait. He felt like he was suffocating and he knew how to stop it. Tommy knew he was having a panic attack.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He knew the symptoms of a panic attack. His chest hurt, check. His breathing wasn’t right, check. He felt a bit dizzy, check. He was freaking out, fucking check! Tommy pushed the door to his room open. The empty halls somehow helped. Knowing his parents weren’t just around the corner. He made his way to the bathroom. Locking the door behind himself. Tommy looked around. Razor, razors, where are the fucking razors!? Tommy opened the medicine cabinet. His heart pounded like it wanted to jump out of his chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He fell to his knees. Tears threatened to fall. He didn’t let them. Not one. He’s done enough crying. Tommy looked at the sink. Seeing it had a bottom part with it’s one cabinet. He opened it with shaking hands. He sighed once he saw an opened box of shaving razors. He took one out. Looking it over it was clear it wasn’t used yet. A skill Tommy really shouldn’t have. Not when he didn’t grow any facial hair yet. Tommy practically tore his pants off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With one hand movement all the stress in him left. Pain filled it’s spot. Tommy chuckled to himself. He missed how the blade felt. In a sick and twisted way. So he did it again. Blood bubbled up from the small cuts. He rested his back against the wall. He focused on the pain. School can wait, streaming can wait, life can wait. Right now Tommy needed to escape. He needed to be away from the real world. So he thought about how the pain felt. How each cut he made scared more of his skin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A reminder that he was strong. That he could fix his problems one his own. That he didn’t need help. He was a big man now. If he was going to feel any pain it was going to be from his own hands. Not ones of someone he used to love and look up to. Tommy stopped cutting after a bit and just sat there. As blood slid down his thigh and onto the floor. The red liquid made him frown. He liked the colour red. But somehow he didn’t like it when it was coming out of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy I’m back! I bought some donuts for us! And I got a surprise for you! Phil’s here too!”. Tommy froze. He looked at his leg. Not happy about what he did. For the first time he felt bad about the cuts on his legs. Not because he didn’t like how it fixed his problems but because he knew Wilbur would be upset. Like a kid who got caught doing something bad. But he wasn’t caught yet. Looking around Tommy got to work. He first grabbed the toilet paper and pressed it down on his leg. Hissing at the contact.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy! Are you in your room!?”. Shit shit shit. Tommy put the razor in between his teeth as he needed to use his hands. He used more toilet paper and wiped the blood that found itself on the ground. He threw it in the toilet bowl before he went to look in the medicine cabinet. He could hear footsteps come down the hall. Since his pants were around his ankles when he tried to get up he tripped. Making a thud sound as he landed on his ass. He spit the razor in his hand. “Tommy?”. Tommy’s head looked to the door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was Phil. Wait Phil was here!? “Uh ya!”. He called out. Act normal. “You okay there mate?”. Tommy looked around. His thigh was covered in toilet paper that was slowly turning red with a bloody razor in his hands and his pants pulled down to his ankles. He wasn’t doing his best at this moment. “Ya I’m fine!”. Tommy slowly stood up. He opened the medicine cabinet. His eyes landed on a small roll of bandages. He grabbed it and threw the rest of the toilet paper he had on him in with the rest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He then put the razor on the counter and started to wrap his thigh. “Alright. Wilbur got donuts when you’re done.”. He then heard footsteps walk away from the door. Tommy looked over at his handy work. That should hold. He pulled up his pants and flushed the toilet. Washing his hands and the razor he looked at himself in the mirror. He was still breathing heavily. Calm down. He needed to calm down. He took a deep breath in then out. He put the razor in his pocket.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t know why his heart was racing once again. Wilbur and Phil wouldn’t know. He hid his injuries well on stream. He can do it in real life. Surely he can. Tommy walked to the door and unlocked it. Walking out he could hear people talking. It was Phil and Wilbur. His thigh stung. But he walked down the hall anyways. In the living room sat Wilbur and Phil. A box of donuts was on the counter and another box. He didn’t know what was in it though. “Tommy! Come sit.”. Wilbur said once he saw Tommy. He did as the older man said and walked over. Sitting down slowly to not accidentally hit his thigh with something.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil and Wilbur had smiles all on their faces. They must really like donuts. “Here pick one.”. Wilbur opened the box to the couple of donuts they got. They were coloured in pale colours, had sprinkles and edible glitter. They were definitely something. Tommy picked the pale purple one out. It looked like a galaxy with the edible glitter. He took a bite out of it. His eyes widened and he chewed the food. “This is fucking delicious…”. He said with his mouth full. Phil chuckled at the statement. “Best in Brighton! Mate you can’t go wrong with these.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy only nodded as he took another bite, then onto another donut. Soon the box was empty with three full men on the couch. “I can’t believe I never had those before.”. Wilbur turned to him with a smile. “Well glad I could buy you your first one.”. Phil sat up and pointed to the other box. “Donuts weren’t the only thing we got you.”. Tommy raised an eyebrow at that. They got something else? What? “Oh ya!”. Wilbur also sat up and grabbed the box passing it over to Tommy. “I don’t need anything else though.”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy took the box and looked it over. It was a plain brown cardboard box with Wilbur’s address on it. Clearly it was mailed here. “We know you might think you don’t need anything so don’t think it as a need. More like a gift from me and Phil.”. Tommy bit his lip. What was it? He took the tape off the top and opened the box. His movements stopped the second he saw what was in it. “I can’t have this…”. Wilbur looked in the box. “Of course you can. It’s a gift.”. He said with a smile. Unaware of Tommy’s thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>How could he accept this!? “I can’t have this.”. Tommy put the box back on the table. Phil picked up Tommy’s fear. Fear that really shouldn’t be coming out at the sight of a gift. “Is something wrong Tommy?”. Phil said. Wilbur noticed the attitude change as he shifted in his spot. Turning to look at Tommy more. “Yes something is wrong! Th-this is wrong!”. Tommy gestured towards the box. “Do you not like it? I’m knew to this kind of thing so is giving you this stuff wrong? I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”. Wilbur tried to recover the situation. Tommy just shook his head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your fine. But I’m not allowed to have this. Father said I can’t have these. There for baby’s and I’m an adult.”. Phil and Wilbur took a bit to think over the boy's words. “Tommy you're not an adult. You're sixteen. And you're also a regresser. This stuff is okay to have.”. Phil filled in. He stood up and took something out of the box. It was an adult pacifier. He held it up to Tommy. “They wouldn’t make these for older ages if you weren’t allowed to have it.”. Wilbur nodded as he took out something else from the box.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was a deep red backpack. “Your father isn’t in charge of you anymore Tommy. I’m watching you. And I say all this stuff is completely fine. So we’re going to put all your new stuff in this bag and you're going to keep it in your room when you are not regressed. Okay?”. Wilbur held the bag in front of him as Phil held the adult pacifier. “A-are you sure. Like you're completely fine with it.”. Tommy hoped for a yes. He needed a yes. He needed a win. “Of course!”. Phil filled in for Wilbur.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy nodded as he helped pack his knew little things. The bag was full when they were done. Tommy could have thought Wilbur and Phil would have gone broke by how many things he got. In total it was two pacifiers, a small fluffy blanket, three children books, a new shirt that had a cartoon character on it in his size, overalls, a colouring book with crayons and some toys. To be completely honest Tommy felt like he was in heaven.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After putting his bag in the room he kinda just took over he was out in the kitchen. Watching as Phil moved about the place. Tommy stared at him. Thinking. Phil wasn’t a father. He didn’t have any kids. Yet on the internet everyone calls him dad. It was a joke. It was always supposed to be a funny joke. Wilbur set out plates on the kitchen table. Wilbur looked over at him. But he didn’t care. “Hey Phil.”. This was dumb. He shouldn’t be doing this. “Ya?”. The man in question turned around as he mixed the pot of Kraft dinner they had on the stove.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you let people call you dad? It’s a joke but still. You let them.”. Phil straightened up and caught eyes with Wilbur for a second. “Well sometimes people don’t have the best of parents. They need a father figure and I guess I like the idea of filling in that spot.”. Tommy just nodded. “Okay.”. He pointed to the stove. “It’s bubbling.”. Phil turned around surprised. “Oh shit!”. Phil then took their dinner off the stove.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur looked over at Tommy. Tommy looked back at him. If Phil was the father and Wilbur and Techno were his brothers then wouldn’t that mean he had a family? One that didn’t beat him. “I don’t know if you could burn Kraft dinner but if you can I think I did it.”. Phil joked as they started putting the food out on the plates. Tommy sat down with the other two. They began to eat. He looked up a couple times to watch the other two.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had a family. He fucking had a family! A smile crossed the boy's face. It was embarrassing to admit he was happy. So he didn’t. Instead he just continued to eat the maybe burnt dinner. Thinking. Thinking was bad. Okay maybe not all bad. It has always been like a coin. On one side it was bad. The other side was good. He just bent to the wills of the bad thoughts he had. Like cutting his skin and running away. They turned on him. To the point his good thoughts were drowned out. The bad ones being reinforced by his parents.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But maybe, this once. His thoughts won’t turn on him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Who’s ready for shit to go down next update! Techno and Dream have landed and are showing up next update. Fun, fluff and angst is here to play and it won’t go away. Maybe even a nick name drop for one of our lovely adults. 👀 Who you think is going to get blessed with Tommy’s wonderful naming skills? Anyways I hope you liked this chapter. The next update might take a bit longer because I’m planning on them being around 3000 words and not 2000. Want to give you guys more words to read!</p>
<p>See you in the next chapters!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. We’re Up Then We’re Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy sat in his room. Looking over Twitter once again. His leg groaned from the cuts he made that morning. He was sitting in his pyjamas ready for bed. Phil had to leave. He did have a wife to spend his time with after all. A knock on the door made Tommy’s head turn. “It’s open Wilbur!”. Of course it was open. His door didn’t have a fucking lock on it. Wilbur poked his head in anyways. “Ready for bed I see.”. Tommy looked down at his phone. “It’s 11:54 at night. Wilbur if you're surprised I’m scared to know your sleep schedule.”. He joked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur chuckled as he walked in. He sat at the edge of the bed also wearing his own pyjamas. “Oh shut up you gremlin child! I was just heading to bed.”. Tommy tilted his head at that. “Then why are you in here? Here to spy on me sleep, that’s kinda creepy.”. Wilbur just scoffed. “I’m not here to watch you sleep, you weirdo! I wanted to say goodnight and that some friends are coming over tomorrow morning for the day.”. He fidgeted in his spot in his bed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Friends? Tommy had never met any of Wilbur’s friends outside of the streams. “Okay. So you need me to move or?”. Wilbur just shook his head. “Nope! We’re all going to hang out together. So go to bed now because I’m waking you up early tomorrow.”. Tommy just huffed out an okay. Wilbur smiled as he stood up. “And I mean it! Night Tommy.”. “Night Wilbur!”. Tommy watched as Wilbur shut the lights off and left the room. Tommy smiled. “Like hell I’m going to bed.”. He said to himself as he opened back up his phone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy squirmed around as Wilbur shook him softly. “Tommy you gotta wake up bud.”. Wilbur said in a hushed voice. “Mhm.”. He turned around and opened his eyes. Looking up he could see Wilbur with damp hair. He must have just taken a shower. Wilbur smiled down at him. “Is our sleeping beauty awake?”. Tommy laid still. His headspace called for him to be little. He wanted to be little. He hated the days he woke up feeling like this. He pushed it down the best he could. “Mhm fuck off. Sleepy.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur chuckled as he tore the blankets off of him. “Nope I got people coming over! And you smell. Go take a shower.”. Tommy grumbled and yelled out swear after swear. More for himself than actually at Wilbur. He didn’t swear when he was little so swearing kinda helped keep him big. After his little tantrum-nope not a tantrum. Big men don’t have tantrums. After his outburst he calmed down. Wilbur just stood there. “You done?”. Tommy just nodded as he sat up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was tired. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to stay up late. Wilbur bent down and poked his nose. “Shower. Now.”. He demanded. It wasn’t harsh. More so like a reminder that an older brother would give to their younger brother. “Alright alright!”. He got up off the bed and stretched. With that Wilbur left the room to go do something else. What did Wilbur do when Tommy wasn’t harassing him? He had no clue. Going over to his bag Tommy looked at the clothes he had. He only had one pair of clothes left that weren’t dirty. He’ll need to ask Wilbur we’re he does the laundry later.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He picked out what he was going to wear for the day and made his way to the bathroom. After locking the door he started to strip. Once he got to his pants he stopped. He looked at the bandages on his thigh. He quickly shook his head. Not the time for that right now. He finished underdressing and taking his bandages off before he climbed into the shower. He put the water on warm and started to wash. Blood dripped onto the bottom of the shower in a red mess. It was temporary as the water from the shower head washed the blood away and down the drain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy wondered how long he would be staying here for. Maybe Wilbur would help him get a job and an apartment. Can sixteen year olds even live by themselves? Tommy used the soaps and shampoos he knew Wilbur let him use. Before long he was done. The warm water made him even more sleepy. He didn’t want to step out. He wanted to turn on the tab and plug up the drain so he could have a bubble bath. To play in the water. But that was his headspace talking. And Tommy didn’t listen to it much.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So he stepped out and dried himself off with the all to soft and fluffy yellow pale towel. He then used Wilbur’s bandages once more and got changed. He looked in the mirror. It was him. Not the ghost-like skinny corpse he saw last week. He still looked a bit pale from how long he stayed outside for but he looked good. He looked healthy. And if he could play his cards right people would think that goes for mentally to. Tommy picked up the pyjamas Wilbur gave him to use and went back to his room. He threw them in his bag.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Looking up his eyes caught something. In the corner of the room sat his little stuff. The stuff Wilbur and Phil got his yesterday. He wanted to go to it. But he couldn’t. Wilbur had people over. He wasn’t going to regress in front of strangers. If he can help it he wasn’t going to regress in front of Wilbur either. But he knew that man had a way of making him feel like a child again. So he didn’t have high hopes for that part. Tommy went towards the door to his room. Then stopped as he heard voices.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He just woke up like half an hour ago. Why are people already here!? Tommy tried to listen to the voices. But it was so muffled by the door and halls of the house. Tommy slowly opened the door. As he did so his phone dinged from the bedside table. He stiffened. Please let that have not been heard. He goes back to check his phone. But he didn’t open it. Instead he unplugs it. It’s already one hundred percent. He turned back towards the door. Who were these people? Wilbur said that they were his friends. Do they know he streams? Should he not talk about YouTube and Twitch?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy slowly made his way back towards the door. He opened it and walked out into the hallway. He could hear the voices better now. He tiptoed his way down the hall. The voices got louder and louder and louder-What…Tommy peaked around the corner and almost let out a gasp. Instead he decided to shout. “Techno, Dream!?”. He ran into the living room stopping in the center. Techno looked up from his phone towards Tommy. He smiled. Technoblade fucking smiled at him! Tommy had no words.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur chuckled at his spot on the couch. “Surprise!”. Wilbur did jazz hands towards the two other adults. “Hi Tommy.”. Dream greeted beside Techno. Techno put his hand up and did a little wave. “Hello Tommy.”. He just stood there in awe at the situation. “Wa-why are you here? In Brighton!”. Techno looked to Dream hesitantly. Tommy didn’t pick up on that. “We wanted to hang out with Wilbur then he said you were here. We had this planned for awhile.”. Tommy just smiled. More of his friends were here. He had no reason to think into there reason why.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy, Wilbur, Techno and Dream sat on the couch as they watched a movie. In that order to. It was the late afternoon now. Having spent hours causing chaos in the household Tommy finally settled down. He shifted from time to time as he tried to keep his mind in order. His headspace out and overall shut down. It didn’t work of course as it nagged at him. He hasn’t regressed in a while and it was taking its toll. He was tired. He just wanted Melvin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The being sleepy part was definitely from staying up so long. But he didn’t know Dream and Techno would be here! Tommy’s eyes started to blur. He zoned out from the movie and his friends. Keep it together. He couldn’t regress in front of them. He rubbed at his eyes. Focusing back on the movie he could see the main characters' parents come up. “But father you have to let me go. It’s my duty!”. Tommy watched the screen. It was more distracting than one might think at first.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could feel like he was getting some more control back. Which of course was bad and very unhealthy for the teenage boy. He didn’t care one bit about it though. “It’s your duty to help on the farm! Not to go off on some kind of loss cause!”. Tommy was taken aback by the father yelling back. He looked to the side. Dream didn’t seem to mind it. Neither did Techno or Wilbur. He turned back to the movie. “You always do this! When will you grow up and realize you have a responsibility to this family!”. Tommy’s eyes started to water. He was fine. It was just a movie.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tommy fell back onto his ass. His father looked down at him. “Come on Tommy! Stand up!”. He didn’t want to stand. He didn’t want to be pushed down for the tenth time. But he did. He stood up. His father grabbed him from the shirt collar and pinned him against the wall. His mother wasn’t here. She was at work. Lucky her. “Now do you want to explain why you got a D on your science test?”. Tommy bit his lip. He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to talk back to his father. But like every time before. He did.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“It was a pop quiz. Didn’t have time to study.”. Tommy didn’t cry. So he just stared at his father with a frown. A quivering frown that was so close to tears.”that’s not an excuse! You're smarter than this!”. Tommy’s father let him go. Taking a step back the older man sucked in a breath. “Tommy I’m just worried. You need to get your grades up.”. His father still sounded pissed. But at least he wasn’t yelling. “I-I’ll try.”. “Men don’t stutter Tommy. Speak up!”. Tommy flinches back. “I’ll try harder.”. He says more clearly.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s shaking. The memory just came out of nowhere. “You can’t just run off and leave your family!”. Tommy curled in on himself. “Yes I can! I’m a grown man now!”. His breathing worsened. He didn’t want to hear the yelling anymore. It sounded too much like his father. “That doesn’t mean you can just leave us behind!”. Make it stop. He wanted the movie to stop. The yelling continued. His shaking continued. He needed comfort. He needed a way out of this! His headspace came faster than a rocket. Plummeting him into a childlike mind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t help. If anything it made the whole situation worse. He wanted the yelling to just go away! A quiet sob left his lips. Wilbur whipped around to face him. “Tommy?”. That got the other two to look around. Tommy curled more in on himself. His breathing was shaky and getting worse. He couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They slid down his cheeks in streaks. He’s just a child. A child that wanted nothing more than to be taken care of. So he let out his cry. His whines. Wilbur went right to soothing. Taking up a more calm and low tone with the now even more younger boy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dream sat there looking confused but soon worry and understanding filled in that whole quickly. Techno just looked lost. “Shh it’s okay Tommy. What’s wrong? What’s got you all upset?”. The movie still played in the background. His eyes went to it. Dream was the one to pick up on that little detail. Dream got up from the couch and turned the tv off. Wilbur didn’t know what to do. Wilbur had taken care of crying teenage Tommy. Never panic attack little space riden Tommy. This was different.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s going on?”. A low voice spoke up from the couch. Both Dream and Wilbur turned to the other man in the room. Wilbur bit his lip. It wasn’t his place to say. But then again you can’t really ignore that wailing child in the room. “Tommy’s a little. He regresses to a younger age to help with stress and other things.”. Dream quickly explained. Techno looked over at Tommy. Their eyes met. Tommy had no idea what the other was thinking. But he looked warm. He was bigger in size than his other friends. Probably a bit stronger too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy reached up his arms towards the older. He then started to make grabby hands as more tears went down his face. “T-Techie laid!”. Wilbur looked from Tommy over to Techno. Hesitant. The nickname made the one in question chuckle a bit. “It’s a coping mechanism. Right? Think I’ve heard of it before.”. Techno moved closer to him. Dream just nodded his head as he watched him. Tommy wanted Techno. Even though the other had never known of his coping mechanism. He felt safe. Techno looked to him then to Wilbur. “What do I do to help?”. It came out as a whisper. But Wilbur could hear it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly I don’t know. I’ve never dealt with a panicking child.”. Wilbur said through a shaky breath. Tommy seemed to be getting worse over time. Which didn’t help the now panicking two. Fat tears rolled down his face as breathing was now becoming hard to do. He wanted Melvin. Wanted an arm around him and to tell him he’s safe. Safe from the man who didn’t deserve the title father. “Okay I got this.”. Dream cut in as he walked forward. Dream bent down to meet his gaze. A small smile on his face. “Hey buddy.”. Dream’s voice was weirdly calm. “I'm going to need you to breathe with me alright? Can you do that for me?”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy slowly nodded. “Great.”. Dream turned over to Wilbur. “If he has any little things you should go grab those.”. He added quietly. Wilbur got the idea and stood up from his spot. “I’ll be back in a minute Tommy. You just do what Dreams says.”. With another nod of approval from the little Wilbur was off. Dream turned back to him. “Okay now match me. Breath in through your nose.”. He followed. It was hard. But slowly he did it. “Hold for a few seconds now.”. Dream puffed out his cheeks to show to keep the air in. It made Tommy giggle a bit. Dream let out his breath so dramatically. Like he was holding it in forever. “And let it out.”. Tommy followed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So good Tommy! Now again.”. After a few minutes Dream had Tommy’s breathing under control. “You did such a good job! Didn’t he Techno?”. Dream and Tommy looked over at the other. In which Techno just nodded. “Ya he did great.”. Tommy and Techno met eyes again. Raising his hands he started to make grabby hands once more. “Looks like Tommy wants you to hold him.”. Techno straightened up as he heard that. “Is it okay?”. Dream just nodded. Techno shuffled around to get more comfortable. It didn’t even take a second after before Tommy was crawling over and sitting in Techno’s lap. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno looked over at Dream again. “Wrap your arm around him. He’s not going to break Techno.”. “That’s what you think.”. Techno shot back. He however did. Wrapping his arm around Tommy’s waist and bringing him closer. He rested his head on the other's chest. Wilbur walked through the door. Once looking at the scene before him his shoulders visibly relaxed. Wilbur was holding a deep red backpack in one hand and in the other was Melvin. Tommy looked over. Once seeing Wilbur and Melvin a small smile came to his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t notice how Wilbur seemed a bit off. Plus Wilbur was a good actor. “Look what I got Toms.”. Wilbur said softly as he walked over. Tommy squealed in joy as he reached for the bag. This made Techno flinch. He couldn’t tell it apart from a destress squeal. Dream just patted the man’s shoulder. A small way of saying he was fine. Techno relaxed back into the couch. Tommy watched as Wilbur opened the bag. Wilbur paused and looked up to him. “Tommy, how old are you feeling today?”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He quickly held up four fingers. “Fouw!”. Tommy still had tear tracks on his face. His bigger self would definitely have hid away by now. But his family was here. And they weren’t upset. So he was happy. Dream went next to Wilbur and sat down. Wilbur dug into the bag and brought out a pacifier. “You want your pacifier?”. Tommy made grabby hands once again. “Paci!”. Wilbur chuckled as he gave him what he wanted. He popped the pacifier in his mouth and looked back to the bag. He knew what was in there. And he wanted it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur took out the assortments of toys and put them on the floor. Tommy reached for the race car but stopped. Techno’s arm was still around him and he didn’t want to get out of his lap. He was safety after all. He turned around to face the older man. “Gwound.”. He spoke around his pacifier. Not daring to take it out of his mouth. Techno just looked confused. “You want me to put you down?”. The moment Techno said that Tommy leaned more into him. “Nu! You move to the gwound.”. Dream chuckled at the dominance Tommy tried to show. It only made him look cute.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He wants you to move to the ground Techno.”. Techno nodded as he slowly moved to the edge of the couch. With Tommy refusing to move from Techno’s arms it was hard to lower the younger and himself to the ground but he did it. Once on the ground Tommy turned to the small pile of toys in front of him. He grabbed the race car with a big smile on his face. Not having much to use Tommy used Wilbur’s legs as the road. So they spent there time like that. Sitting on the floor playing with cars and other toys.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“An then they wace to see who’s the best!”. Tommy announced as we moved two cars across Wilbur’s legs. He stopped after a second. His eyes narrowed like whatever he was thinking needed all his focus. He took one car and pushed it into Techno’s hand. “Techie laid wace me!”. The little demanded. Tommy seemed to be a very demanding little when it came to play time. Techno looked at the car then at him. Techno shifted his spot a bit so he only had one hand around Tommy. Techno pushed his hand in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You're on.”. The man had too much of a grin on his face for just a simple race. It turned out it wasn’t just a simple race as Tommy jumped up from Techno’s lap and raced over to where Dream was sitting. The man was tall. The perfect race track replacement. Techno stood up and also made his way over to Dream. Now hell bent on annoying the other adult. As the two just used Dream as a race track Wilbur pouted. “So I got replaced! Just like that! The loyalty!”. Tommy turned as he pushed his car into Dream's face. Techno just snorted as Dream not to get his eye poked out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wace twacks don’t talk.”. Wilbur couldn’t help but burst out laughing. From the side Tommy could also hear wheezing. After fifteen more minutes of a race game that made no sense Tommy started to slow down. His eyes seemed to hold a block for longer and he seemed to be holding back a yawn. Techno saw this and nudged Dream's shoulder. Who in turn sent Wilbur a look. Tommy of course being oblivious. “Hey Tommy.”. Wilbur started with a soft tone. “You tiered buddy?”. Tommy just shook his head. Kids can really be the biggest liars.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dream sat up mare causing him to look up. “You sure? It’s okay if you need a nap.”. Tommy just shook his head again. “Not sleepy. Techie laid you stopped.”. He pointed at Techno’s unmoving hand. Techno looked at his hand then back to Tommy. “Are you thirsty then?”. Techno said putting down the car. Tommy looked over and nodded. He was thirsty. “Would you like some Angel milk?”. He tilted his head at this. “Angel milk?”. Techno stood up from beside Dream and nodded. “Come, I’ll make some for you. My sister used to go crazy for it when she was younger.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno put his hand out and he took it. Standing up Tommy smushed into Techno’s side. Wilbur and Dream seemed to get what he was doing and started to clean up the toys. Unnoticed by the sleepy boy. Techno led him to the kitchen. He hopped up on the counter and watched as Techno started work. Techno first got out the milk jug then a pot. He started heating it up. Techno then went to the cupboards and got out vanilla extract. Tommy’s eyes shut for a second. Then a second later he jolted back up again. They sat in silence as Techno made this so-called ‘Angel milk’.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno mixed the vanilla extract and some sugar into the milk. After a bit Wilbur walked in with a light blue sippy cup. It was a quiet exchange between the two adults as Wilbur handed Techno the cup. After he walked over to where Tommy was on the counter. He held onto the other by the side. Not wanting him to fall off in his sleepy daze. “All done.”. Techno pipped up as he poured the liquid into the sippy cup. Tommy eyed it warily. It was just three ingredients. Why would Techno’s sister go crazy for it? “Up you get.”. Wilbur said as he slightly pulled him from the counter.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They made their way to the living room. Tommy sat on the couch next to Dream. All the toys now packed away in his little bag. Techno dribbled a bit of the drink onto his hand to check the temperature before he handed it off to Tommy. Tommy held it for a second. He reached up and took his pacifier out of his mouth before slipping the sippy cup in its place. He took a sip. The warm drink made his eyes open a bit. He took another sip. The sweetness and the vanilla taste made him smile around the cup.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He took another sip. This one being longer. Tommy leaned into Dream's side. The other only pulled him closer. Wilbur sat down next to Tommy as he drank the delicious drink. Techno chuckled as he sat next to Wilbur. Tommy’s eyes fluttered closed as he finished the drink. “Works every time.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>~*Earlier that day*~</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur walked down the hall. His mind was running a mile a minute. Was Tommy okay? He should have known the movie would have brought back some unpleasant memories. But of course he forgot the kid had required some fucking daddy issues! If he thought about it some more he would have seen the stupidity in it. Techno seemed fine about Tommy being a little. More of the off side as the anxious man didn’t know what to do. But fine nonetheless!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur opened the door to Tommy’s room and walked in. On the bed sat his moth plush. So Wilbur got that first. Scanning around the room he quickly found the deep red backpack. It was pushed into the corner of the room. It actually made him frown. It looked untouched from what he could tell. Has Tommy not been regressing by himself? Wilbur knew some people would prefer to be alone while in little space so he just assumed Tommy was one of them. Wilbur walked over to the bag and picked it up. He’ll have to talk with Tommy later about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t want the boy, his brother, to feel like he couldn’t regress. Not around him. It was a coping mechanism for fucks sake! He should feel safe to use it. A ding sound caused Wilbur to snap out of his thoughts. He turned around and looked at the bedside table. There sat Tommy’s phone. Wilbur walked over and put the plush and bag on the bed. Leaning over he picked up the phone and turned it on. It dinged again as a notification popped up on the screen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy had it hidden so Wilbur couldn’t read what it said. It was probably Tubbo anyways. He went to put it back down but the ding came back. Another notification. Wilbur sighed and sat down on the bed. He shouldn’t be snooping. He opened the phone back up and stared at the password screen. What would Tommy put as his phone password? Wilbur tried Tommy’s birthday first. Didn’t work. He should really get back to the group. Tommy needed his little stuff.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur tried another combination. 1, 2, 3, 4. Didn’t work. He was actually relieved Tommy didn’t put that password down. It’s too common. Wilbur thought for a few more seconds. He looked at the letters beside each number. He typed in Pog champ. It worked. He didn’t know if he should laugh or make fun of Tommy for it. Wilbur navigated the phone and clicked on the notification. His eyes widened at the name. His breathe hitched and he gritted his teeth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Why the fuck was his father texting him!?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Over 4000 words! I’m excited now. I said things are ramping up. So they shall. Also I’ve tried Angel milk myself after my brother made some and I can say it’s the fucking bomb. I don’t care if you regress or not but you have to make some. All it takes is milk, vanilla extract and sugar. Then just heat it up all together. Delicious.</p>
<p>*Nickname unlocked: Techie Laid*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. s̸̨͉̞̋͊̀̎̇͛̉̕͠͝l̶̫̤̼͔̘̬͎͍̙̞̲͖̺͎̒̄͌̂͒̀̀͌o̸̪̳͔̘̮͈͉͈̐̿̿͋̎͆͒͑̈͗͝ơ̷̢͉̙̙̬̪̤̺̲̬̼̳̠̖̪̒̌͐͂̓͝ͅf̴̨̧͐̔̅̄́̑͆̀͋͝ ̷͍̮̩̪͙̙͇͈̥͕͈̘̉̃̔l̶͖͇̏̈̅̊̒̃́͘i̸͎̱̊͂̑̑͗͗̽̃̓̃͘͝͝r̷̥͚͖̫͉̣͎̘̤͓̈̿̒̒̀͗͋̎͌̓̂̂̂͝͝p̷̣̐á̴̡̡̡͎̤͚̣͓͔̘̲̩̬̎̎̈̌͑̄͜</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I have an announcement to make. I will be discontinuing this series. I just got bored with it and ran out of ideas. I’m sorry for everyone who enjoyed my writing. But this will be the end of my book.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I want to focus on my two other series I have going on and can’t do that while I’m working on this. I might come back to it but for now it’s going to be left unfinished.</span>
</p>
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>April fools bitches!!!!!!!!!!!</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sorry not sorry.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>I’m not close to stopping yet!.......ok I feel a bit bad. Have a sneak peak at what’s to come!!!</b>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <b>~*sneak peak*~</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this about Tommy?”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy sat on the bench. Cold winds passed him. He looked down at the card. The sky was a lovely light blue. He wondered if Evean would be there. He said he would.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy I have something to tell you-“.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“IT FUCKING HURTS!”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy laid his head on Wilbur’s chest. Falling asleep to his singing. At least for now this was home.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh ya if anyone was wandering the title is April fools backwards. See you next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Brothers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Wilbur pulled the blanket over Tommy. Making sure not to wake up the little as he slept on the couch. His mind was running a mile a minute. The texts that Tommy’s father sent made him want to throw up. Or kill the man. Wilbur liked one option more than the other. But he knew he couldn’t bring himself to do something like that. “How’d you know to calm Tommy down like that.”. Techno whispered over to Dream as Wilbur stepped away from the sleeping boy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dream just shrugged with a smile. “I guess the same way you knew how to get him to sleep. I got younger siblings.”. Wilbur straightened up and turned to the two men. They didn’t know how bad it was when Tommy got here a little over a week ago. Shivering, hungry and tired looking. They also weren’t here when Tommy broke down crying the first night. Wilbur remembered it well though. If the noise complaint he got the next day was anything to go by.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Having them not know how bad it is was a winning and losing battle. On one hand Tommy got to keep some kind of privacy. But on the other Wilbur and Phil couldn’t handle this alone. “Hey guys we need to talk.”. He said it without wavering. He made up his choice. Plus they were part of the group chat anyways. They knew something was wrong. Just not to the extent that it was at. Techno and Dream took one look at him and realized this wasn’t a joking matter.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright.”. With that Wilbur led his friends to the kitchen and away from the living room. Close enough to hear when Tommy would wake up from his nap, far enough so when he did he wouldn’t eavesdrop. They sat down at the kitchen table. “Is this about Tommy?”. Dream just got a nod in response. Wilbur gripped his pants so tight his knuckles turned paper white. “His father texted him.”. He hissed out the word ‘father’ like it was a disease. That man didn’t deserve the title. “I saw it on his phone.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur looked at the table. The words that filled his mind made him want to yank out his own hair. “He said ‘if you don’t get your ass back home I’ll find you and drag you by your hair.’ He then went on to say sorry and he’ll be better. He typed it so convincingly that I wanted to throw up.”. Wilbur looked up from the table. Only to be met with very different eyes. Dream as scarily calm. He hunched over the table looking back at him. Not a muscle in the man’s body pointed towards him being anything but neutral. Which made a shiver go down Wilbur’s spine.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno was anything but calm. His eyes twitched with anger and his hands were in fists. If Wilbur’s knuckles were paper white then the others were blinding. Techno looked at the table. If looks could kill then the table would have caught fire. It might have been because Techno had ADHD but his leg was bouncing at a pace that was too fast to keep eyes on. Dream cleared his throat making all heads turn to him. “He’s playing mind games.”. He started.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like his posture and everything else about him, his voice was calm. “If he really wanted Tommy home to make amends he would have called the police. He wants Tommy to go with his own free will. If that happens then we can’t make a case against him. They would say if a child was really being abused they wouldn’t have gone back.”. Wilbur’s eyes grew wide. So did Techno’s. How Dream talked about making a case, it sounded like he was close to the topic. It made Wilbur’s stomach crawl with the thought.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are we supposed to do? We’re just his fucking friends he found on the internet.”. Wilbur gritted out through a clenched jaw. Techno stayed silent. “We give him two options. Either he hands Tommy legally and willingly over to us, hoping Tommy’s mother follows and leaves the son of a bitch. Or we go to the police. Which I want to not go to that option as we don’t have much evidence other then some voice recordings. Plus if Tommy’s mother takes his side then we have no ground to make a case for.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur stared at Dream for a couple of seconds. Letting the words sink in. “So we’re fucked if we go to the police option.”. The low and almost animalistic voice from Techno made Wilbur flinch. Techno was beyond pissed. What were they supposed to do? Walk up to Tommy’s father and say, oh ya we want to be your son's new legal guardian because we know you beat him. Can you sign some papers, no they couldn’t do that. “Wa-what if we don’t become his guardian?”. Techno and Dream looked up at him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He still has his mother. Tommy said she was nice to him and is also being hurt. If we give her a way out the prick can’t do anything since if she’s on our side we’ll most likely win any legal shit he tries to throw at us.”. Techno nodded understanding and Dream smiled. Dream sat up in his chair. “How do we get in contact with her?”. Techno stood up from his spot at the table. “We call her on Tommy’s phone. Hope her abusive ass husband doesn’t pick up and tell her Tommy’s safe. If we get her to meet with us I’ll show her that we’re willing to help. Maybe give her the confidence she needs to leave.”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno spoke with so much venom if the man wasn’t his friend Wilbur would be shitting his pants. Dream and him both nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy watched Wilbur with uneasy eyes. He woke up big, which he was internally great full for. But that just meant he noticed things more. Not clouded by childish freedom. He saw how every time Wilbur talked to him he seemed to get a bit quieter. How his hands moved closer and closer to play with the hem of his shirt. How Techno was still in the kitchen getting water. It didn’t take twenty minutes to get water. Something was wrong. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dream was the hardest to pinpoint something was wrong. He played it off well. The smile seemed genuinely happy and calm. His posture was relaxed and he looked fine. Tommy wasn’t good at seeing through faces. But he knew his friends. Dream was too calm. Too relaxed and too happy. If that even was a thing. Tommy has seen it before though. How some people can become so pissed the anger turns into some kind of warmth. The only thing making them act normal was the fact that they couldn’t do anything to change what was bothering them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Death was cool, collected and powerful. Dream looked like he made the all-powerful force into his bitch. It made a shiver go down Tommy’s back. After a few more minutes Techno walked into the room. “Sorry I took so long.”. He breathed out in a huff. Tommy noted that Techno didn’t bring back any water. He was lying then. Wilbur looked over to Techno and made eye contact. Tommy sat straight up on the couch. Something was different wrong. It couldn’t be because he regressed right? He thought Dream was fine with it. But Techni might not like it. Like his father-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy we need to talk.”. Dream was the one to talk. Was the only one other than himself to be sitting. The other two were just standing around. Tommy looked at the tall man, waiting. Was this when they finally kick him out? Are they done playing house with him? “It’s about your father.”. Tommy clutched onto his pants. No, he didn’t want to stop the game. He was just getting to like it here. Couldn’t he just play house for one last week. “What about him?”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy wasn’t as unstable then he would have been a few weeks ago. After regressing a couple times he’s been getting better at emotional things. Like this. No he kept his breathing normal, his act cool and his wall was slowly building itself back up. He needed to be fast. He couldn’t let them hurt him. The walls need to be unbreakable. “He’s a bad person. You know that don’t you?”. The first stone didn’t even get placed as he was hit with that sentence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The room fell into silence. His father, a bad person? Tommy had thought about this lots of times. How he was beat for being a literal child. How his mom even screamed at the man. How he cut up his arms and legs to feel something other than, he won’t go on with that thought. He was fine. “Ya. I know that.”. Did he though? The man put food on the table and a roof over his head. It was his fault for not finding a different coping mechanism. Right? “Why bring it up?”. Tommy was hopeful. They wouldn’t send him back to a bad person. He could still keep playing house.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur cleared his throat and walked in front of Tommy. Bending down to be at the same level. “He texted you. I saw the messages he left. He wants you to come home. But he doesn’t care about you Tommy. You get that right? He said he’ll change. You know that he really isn’t going to. Right?”. Wilbur was all over the place. In between telling him about the messages and making sure he knows that his father is a bad person. His mind went blank at the words though.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wanted his father to call the police. But he wasn’t worth that. He texted...He wanted Tommy home. Was he wanted by the man? Wilbur said, he said he’ll change. Was he okay with the age regression then? But he beat Tommy for doing it...He was sorry...He wanted Tommy back...He’s his father… “-ommy you okay?”. Techno’s monotone voice broke through his thoughts. The white haze. “Oh uh ya! I-I’m fine. So what are we going to do?”. He didn’t know where the others stood on the matter. Wilbur said he wouldn’t go back. Tommy hopes he keeps that train of thought.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re going to ask your mom to help make a case against him.”. Dream filled in calmly. The words just sent another shiver down his spine. How was Dream so calm? “A case?”. Techno nodded as he sat down beside Tommy. “You don’t have to worry about that part. All you need to do is not talk to him. Me, Dream, Wilbur and Phil will handle the rest.”. Tommy turned his head and looked up at Techno. His head started to pound in confusion. “Okay.”. It’s not okay. The itch to cut beams in his head. He’s not okay…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy folds his shirts and pants. Wilbur had helped him figure out the washing machine. Now he had all his clothes freshly washed. Tommy couldn’t focus. A small haze was in his mind. Confusion was all over. Dream and Techno left for their hotel two hours ago. Tommy read the messages from his father one hour ago. All with Wilbur’s supervision. Tommy didn’t know what to do. Wilbur was only a friend he played family with. His father, his real father, wanted him back. But unlike his father Wilbur never laid a hand on him. Phil never yelled and called him a disappointment.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno never said to just give in and do what his father wanted. They said not to worry about it. But all he could do was worry. He wanted to cut so fucking bad. To get his mind to focus on one thing. Pain. It always solved his problems. But Wilbur was hovering. At this moment in time he sat in the living room. No doubt in his mind that the older man was waiting for him to walk out of the room. Tommy finished folding his clothes and put them back in his bag.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He walked out and took in a breath. No coolness, no wind, no fresh air. He needed out. He needed out right fucking now! “Wilbur I’m going outside for a walk!”. He called as he was already heading for the door. He heard rushed footsteps make their way over. “Why?”. Wilbur said with a wobbly voice. Clearly frightened by the clear surety in the teens words. “Your house is to…”. Tommy slipped his feet into his shoes. “Restricting.”. He settled on those words. Not looking up once to face Wilbur.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to come with you. It’s getting dark you know.”. Wilbur chuckled trying to lighten the mood. He smiled and stood up. “Sure big man.”. He had no reason to argue. It was just a walk. The two got ready with heavy jackets and light sweaters. Wilbur got his keys as Tommy opened the door. The cool air hitting him with full force. It was welcoming, familiar you could say. He didn’t know how many times he left to go clear his head with a walk. Either going out when the sun was just coming out or when it was just setting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy smiled and walked out of the house. Wilbur followed shortly after locking the door. They matched speeds as Tommy led them off to nowhere. His eyes searching for the perfect spot. “So why the sudden walk? You had all week.”. Tommy just shrugged. “It’s strange.”. Wilbur turned to him, listening. “I don’t do this often. But when I do I need it.”. The other hummed as he looked around. The sun dropped as oranges, pinks and yellows filled the sky. They’ve been out for thirty minutes now. Tommy not once stopped. Wilbur made small conversations. Not knowing what the other was really up to.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy soon spotted a field and pointed over to it. “Right there, big man, is what we came here for.”. Wilbur followed his pointing to look at the empty space. “A patch of grass?”. Tommy smiled as he sprinted off. Wilbur followed. Once in the field Tommy dropped to his knees. “Whoa Tommy!”. Wilbur called out. “It’s fine.”. He was lying. If he was fine he wouldn’t be here. Tommy laid down on his back. “Come lay with me.”. Wilbur sat down and also laid on his back. “This is hella creepy Toms. You going to murder me or something?”. He snorted at the joke. “What!? No! You're the one who wanted to come with me bitch!”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two laughed. Cracking jokes to each other. The sun slowly set leaving them in darkness. The only light being from the street lamps and the stars. “You know life’s shit.”. Tommy blurted uncharacteristically. It caught Wilbur off guard as he turned to stare at the younger. “Why do you say that?”. He knew the reason. He really did. “Because well, I’m not sure. It just is! You know? But the world on the other hand. It’s beautiful.”. Wilbur stayed silent. Thinking over the words. “Life doesn’t need to be shit Toms. You got a bad deck but it doesn’t mean you lost the game.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy breathed in a long breath. The cool air stinging his skin with cold kisses. The dark blue and purples of the sky dance around them. The world is beautiful. His life sucked. Wilbur cared, his father didn’t. Wilbur was beautiful. Like the stars in the sky of darkness. His friend, his brother. Laid beside him. “Scream him me.”. Tommy sat up. A wide smile on his face. His eyes got watery. “What?”. Wilbur questioned Tommy a lot tonight didn’t he. “I said scream with me. It’s what I came out here to do. Like the first night I spent with you.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur seemed to get what he was saying. How after holding it together for so long you had to let it out. Otherwise you’ll break. It being from people around you or by your own hands. Tommy didn’t want to break himself. He’s already damaged. But still able to be put together. Wilbur watched as his watery eyes turned into tears rolling down his cheeks. “I cry too much huh?”. Wilbur moved closer to him and pulled him close. “You cry because you need to. It’s never too much.”. Wilbur breathed in. Tommy got the picture.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He breathed in also. The quiet of night filled with broken screams. The stars danced with lovely light and any thought of going back to his father was left in the air. Screamed out with such rage and sadness it would never find it’s way back. After some time their voices quit on them. They fell back onto their backs. Still holding onto each other. Tommy snuggled up to Wilbur. Tears now dried. But he could see new ones on the other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His smile showed that it wasn’t a bad thing. Wilbur sniffled and rubbed at his eyes. “S-sorry.”. Tommy moved so he was on his stomach. Looking up at Wilbur. He reached over and wiped the tears off the man. “Don’t say sorry. I cried my first time doing this too. It helps, ya?”. Wilbur nodded. “Tommy you're never going to be hurt like that ever again. Okay?”. Tommy nodded. Knowing exactly what ‘that’ was. “I know.”. They both leaned closer to each other. The cold was finally getting to them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur seemed to have been keeping his feelings in just like Tommy. And tonight was what he needed. “Hey Wilbur.”. “Mhm.”. “I love you.”. He kept his eyes on Wilbur. Watching as his eyes widened at the confession. “I was an only child. But now I have you. My big brother. Like I was never without you in the first place.”. Wilbur’s smile grew bigger. “I love you too Toms. You gremlin child.”. Tommy chuckled in the arms of his brother. They stayed like that for another ten minutes before rushing home. Both boys freezing from the cold.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The only remains of the pain they both shared form one man being left behind. Like the wind itself brought it up to the stars to burn. Two brothers, not from the same mother or father, held a secret. That crying and screaming into the dark abyss was healthy. At least for them. Because things that fell to the dark never bounced back.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tommy is still so confused on where his place is but at least be accepts Wilbur. (030)<br/>I had so much fun writing how pissed Techno and Dream are in this. Also Wilbur having a small crying session with Tommy was quite fluffy/sad. Don’t know which one it leans to more tho. Hope you liked this chapter and I’m still not sorry for my April fools prank. Found it fucking hilarious. (I’m a bit sorry but shhhhh. It was still funny.)</p>
<p>*Tubbo has made it to Tommy’s doorstep*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Can’t You Do The Right Thing?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tubbo looks at his phone. The text messages linger, waiting. He didn’t know much about what was going on. Just that Tommy has stopped streaming for a bit. So has Wilbur, Dream, Phil and Techno…His stomach turned with uneasiness. He knew his friend enough to know that something was wrong. He just didn’t know what. And it bothered the crap out of him. He said good morning just to get a text at the end of the day saying goodnight. He sent memes to just get none in return.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something was wrong and Tommy wasn’t telling him. He sighed as he looked up at the house in front of him. Tommy was with Wilbur. Why? He didn’t know. So how do you go see him? You go to Wilbur’s house. Tubbo shifted from foot to foot. He kinda snuck out of the house. Bought a train ticket with his twitch money and left his city. His parents we’re going to be pissed, but he didn’t care. He walked up the path. Seeing two cars in the driveway. Oh he hopes he got the right address.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo lifted his hand and knocked. He stepped back and put on the biggest grin he could. This was for Tommy. Definitely not because he’s worried something else is going on and can’t sit back for shit to hit the fan. Not at all. The doorknob turned. Tubbo held his breath. It opened. He met bright blue eyes. While bright blue ones met his dark chocolate brown. “Tubbo?...”. Tommy breathed out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Surprise!”. Tubbo yelled. There was a moment of silence until Tommy ran forward and almost tackled him to the ground. “Tubbo what the fuck! You're here. How the hell are you here!?”. Tubbo laughed as he hugged his friend back. Squeezing him like he was going to go off the radar for another week again. “I took a train. You scared the crap out of me! I wanted to see you.”. Tommy let go and backed up. A big goofy grin on his face. “Tommy who’s at the door-“. Wilbur stopped upon seeing Tubbo.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The older man’s eyes widened as he looked between Tubbo and Tommy. “How?”. Tubbo’s smile turned to an evil grin. “Snuck out for the day big man! Told you I knew where you lived.”. Wilbur just sighed and opened the door more. Tommy dragged Tubbo inside. “You got here just in time for my boredom to be coming in Big T! Techno, Dream and Phil went off somewhere saying it’s ‘adult business’ so I was stuck here with Wilbur.”. Tubbo just nodded along as he took off his shoes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, Techno and Dream are here?”. Tommy just smiled with a nod. “You have no idea how crazy shits been. Wilbur here doesn’t even want to leave me alone. Like I’m some lost child.”. Tommy went up to Tubbo and whispered in his ear. “If I’m being honest I think he’s lonely.”. Tubbo giggled as Wilbur just walked off somewhere. “So you’ve been having a SBI meet up this whole time? Wow thanks for the invite.”. Tubbo joked as Tommy led him to a room. There were two bags pushed up to the side and his phone sat on the bedside table.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t call it that. More like a vacation!”. Tubbo rose a brow at that. Vacation from what? They sat down on the bed. It went down from both their weights. “Doesn’t seem much like a vacation to me Big T.”. Tommy just shrugged. “So how’s the streaming life? I haven’t been catching up with what’s been going on.”. Tubbo smiled and turned to face his friend. “Oh the Dream SMP has slowed down since you left a bit but me and Ranboo are keeping it going! Oh the viewers won’t know what will hit them when we find the nuke-“.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil pulled up to a park. Dream scanned the area as he parked. “So we’re just going to go in like ‘oh we know your husband abuses your son come with us?’ Or do we actually have a plan?”. Techno shots out from his spot in the backseat. Phil unbuckles himself from the seat and turns around. “I mean do any of you have a better idea?”. The car became silent. “Thought so.”. Phil turned the car off and shuffled his way out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The other two men followed suit. They walked into the large park. In the distance sat a woman on a bench. Blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Phil and her locked eyes before she turned away. “That’s her.”. He noted pointing to the woman. Techno shifted from foot to foot. Phil turned to him looking him over. Techno looked like he was about to rip someone apart with his bare hands. Dream on the other hand looked like nothing bothered him. Well except for the fact his smile looked so forced it caused Phil to shudder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, let’s go.”. Dream took front as he started to walk over. Phil was second and Techno was third in their line. Wilbur had Tommy give Phil his mother’s phone number. The fact that once she heard that they had Tommy she went into what Phil called ‘mother mode’ was reason enough to believe that she would do the right thing. But of course this situation was tricky. They had to get her in a time that she wasn’t at home and wasn’t at work but without the sperm donor knowing what she was up to.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dream stopped a few steps in front of the woman. “Hello. Your Tommy’s mother, correct?”. She turned to Dream. Having to look up from her spot on the bench. The way Dream spat the word ‘mother’ made another shiver go down Phil’s spine. She stood up and faced them. Phil was taken aback a bit. He’s only ever met her husband. It was clear that Tommy got his height from her. Alone with her blue eyes and blonde hair. “Yes. You must be his friends. Yes?”. Dream nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He motioned towards the bench. “May we sit?”. She nodded and took her spot on the wooden seat once more. “Of course.”. Her voice was a bit raspy. Meaning she had been crying for yelling. She didn’t have tear tracks so he thought of the latter. Dream sat right across from her while Phil took the man’s left and Techno took his right. “I’m not going to sugar it. We know what’s been happening to Tommy.”. Her head hung low and slowly nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Techno grit his teeth. Holding back on whatever he wanted to say to her. “From what I hear from Phil and Wilbur is that that boy looked fucked up when they found him. I can’t imagine what he would have looked like if he stayed in your care.”. Tommy’s mother looked up and opened her mouth to say something. Dream didn’t let her get a word in. “Oh wait I think I could actually. He would probably be on the news ‘kid beat to death and ditched in the back of fuck knows ally’ wouldn’t that be sad.”. She physically flinched at his calm words.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The key key was calm. He never raised his voice. Never showed any indication that he was mad. Phil was at a loss of words. This isn’t how he thought they were going to do this. Techno looked all too happy to see Dream talk this way. “I wouldn’t let that happen.-“. “Oh really?”. Dream cut in. Leaning forward onto the dirty wood. Kids' laughter could be heard from the nearby swings. Dads yell at their kids to slow down. Moms chatter with their friends about their kids' grades. Phil thought it was not appropriate background noise to this conversation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What if you weren’t home and he got hit. Landed the wrong way and hit his head off a nearby table snapping his neck in half. Would you really be able to stop that? When you aren’t even home.”. Venom disguised as harsh words sliced their way into her mind. She stood up abruptly. “I thought you were going to help him. Not talk about how I’m a bad mother!”. She cried out as tears slid down her face. Phil also got up. “I’m sorry that wasn’t our intention-“. “You are a bad mother.”. Techno interrupted. He looked over at Tommy’s mother.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You're a horrible mother. Letting your child be hurt in his own home. But we are here to help. Tommy’s said you never hit him. He actually thinks you're a good person.”. She stopped in her action to walk away. Staring wide eyed at Techno. “H-he doesn’t hate me?”. “He should. But no.”. She sat back down. Quiet. Phil took a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her before sitting back down himself. She used it and dried her eyes. Dream put his head in his hands and smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re here to help. But we also need yours.”. Tommy’s mother straightened her back and sat tall. “With wa-what?”. “Putting your abusive ass husband in jail. You’ll get full custody over Tommy. We’ll even help you move the fuck out of that house. But we need to know if you're alright with leaving him.”. She stared at the three of them. Phil thinks it was too long. She should know the answer right away. He watched as she shifted in her spot.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but notice how she rubbed at her upper arm. Like it was sore and hurting her. “I’ll get custody?”. Phil nodded. “Not like any of us could in time before the government throws him into foster care. But you're his mother. And he still loves you.”. More tears slid down her face. Phil went to comfort her but stopped when she started laughing. Techno looked over to him confused. Dream sat up straight. Also looking confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s get that fucker put behind bars.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Phil smiled and put out his hand for her to shake. She took it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right choice.”.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m so sorry for the late chapter. My brain couldn’t figure out how I wanted to write this chapter. Plus school’s been on my ass. But look we got MotherInnit in! Some happiness before the shit show I’m starting up next chapter! Yay! Oh and Techno was definitely holding back as he wanted to punch the crap out of the woman. To him a bystander is just as bad as the attacker. Have fun thinking about what’s going to happen next chapter!</p>
<p>Hope you liked this chapter! See you on the next one! </p>
<p>(Question for you guys: if you were lost in the mall what would you do?) 😉</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Off To The Mall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy leans over Tubbo’s shoulders as they look for the next YouTube video to watch. He still can’t believe Tubbo just took a train all the way here. Without telling his parents he should add. He doesn’t care much about why. He knows why. He really does. But he doesn’t care about it. He knows he’s scared many people by just disappearing out of nowhere but he doesn’t want to think about it. They’re just having a meetup! A normal meetup. With friends, it’s fun. He doesn’t need to think about-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. “Ya!” Tommy shouted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The door slowly opened and Wilbur leaned on the frame. “Called Tubbo’s parents.” The two boys froze. Fuck, why did Wilbur have to be such an adult?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo shifted next to him as he put his phone down in his lap. “Do I have to leave now?”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur smiled and shook his head. “Nah. Told them I kidnapped you and you’ll be staying for a couple days. They're fine with it as long as you call them every night. Oh and you're definitely grounded when you get back home.”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy smiled and he turned to face the other smiling boy. Who really cared about being grounded when they could stay together longer? Tubbo seemed to have the same thought process as he jumped and off the bed and smiled. “Yes!”. He yelled. Tommy also got up high fiving the other boy. “Oh I’m not done yet.”. Wilbur smirked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy turned to him. A smile playing on his lips. “What else you got for us big man?”.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur shifted on his feet. “I’m taking you two brats to the mall.”. Tubbo turned to Tommy with a giant smile. Oh this would be fun.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy stared around at the mall with a big smile on his face. Tubbo on his right and Wilbur on his left. Wilbur had taken them to the biggest mall in their part of town. Honestly Tommy has never been here. “So here’s what we're doing.”. Wilbur turns to the two teenagers holding his wallet. “I’ll give you each twenty dollars to spend. We’ll make our way around the mall together. If something happens we meet back at the ice cream store over there.”. Wilbur gestures towards a shop off in the distance. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay!”. Tubbo yells as he takes the twenty Wilbur offered them. Tommy takes his and shoves it in his pocket.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They start chatting as they make their way around the mall. Not many people were there as it was a Friday. Tommy looked at Tubbo. Thank god he doesn’t go to school anymore. If he did Tommy would have felt bad about keeping him from learning. Or maybe not. School sucks anyways. “Tommy! Look bees!”. Tubbo grabs his arm. Tommy forced himself not to flinch as his friend grips right in the bandages around his arm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He's pulled over to a small store. Everything is outdoors themed. Tubbo points to a bee plush and grins. Wilbur follows with a chuckle. He looks at the bee plush and smiles. Tubbo drops his arm and grabs it. “I’m going to call you Beeter. Like Peter but for a bee.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur burst out laughing. “You can’t call it Beeter Tubbo.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo huffed. “Watch me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two start bantering back and forth. But Tommy couldn’t help the sad feeling he got. Tubbo has a plush and he doesn’t. Tommy shifts from foot to foot as he looks around. Was there another plush around? The one he had already was probably getting lonely. Right? Would Melvin want a friend? Tommy doesn’t spend much time with him. He looked out of the shop, spotting a little boy with a plush of his own. Without letting the others know he walked out of the shop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at the boy then around at the other shops. There had to be a shop that sold plushies. Melvin would have a sibling! Tommy smiled to himself as he walked off. He didn’t even realize he had slipped as he looked at all the stores. Each not catching his eye as much as he would have liked. “Wilby-“ Tommy tried to ask Wilbur for help. But when he turned to see the other not there he cut himself off. We’re they not following him? Tommy looked behind him. He didn’t recognize anything anymore. Where was Wilby and Tubee?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy tried to head back the way he came but he couldn’t find the same shop. Had he really wondered that far off? Tommy’s eyes started to water. He’s lost. He’s lost and he doesn’t know where his friends are. “Tubee…” He was a horrible friend and plush father. Melvin would get no sibling and Tommy would never see his family again. A tear falls down his cheek but he quickly wipes it away. He’s six! He can’t cry like a baby.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello.” A small voice brings him out of his freak out. Tommy looks down to see a girl with a tear stained face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...hi.” He greets back. The girl looked around his mental age. Six. She had short blond hair and flashy green eyes. Which were currently leaking water.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You're crying.” He deadpans. Pointing up at his cheek.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I'm not.” He mumbles as he rubs at his face. “You're the one crying.” Who was this girl? To say something that is totally not true. Not at all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not!”. She pouts. Crossing her hands. “I’m a big girl. Big girls don’t cry. Not like boys.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s true! You were crying. I could see! It’s why I came up to you, you dummy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy stares at her before sighing. “...you didn’t have to point it out.” The girl looks up at him then huffs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you crying anyways? Mommy says teenagers don’t cry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well I’m not. So ha! I’m six!” The girl looks shocked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She scans Tommy up and down as she uncrosses her arms. “You're my age?” She looks somewhat impressed. “You're so tall though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy just shrugged. “Well I’m technically sixteen. But I like being six better.” He couldn’t see as she thinks over his sentence. Tommy looks past her and to the people around her. “Uh, where’s your mommy and daddy?” Tommy looks back down to see her frozen in her spot.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know...Lost them.” Tommy cringes as he realizes that there both without there guardians. “Where’s yours?”. Tommy just shrugged once more. He really didn’t know. Yes Wilbur is taking care of him but that wasn’t the question she asked. Tommy had no clue where his mom and dad was. He didn’t want to think about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wanna look for them together?” That was the next option right? The more logical part of him thought. Yes Tommy was mentally six but that didn’t make him an idiot. If she was lost like he was he shouldn’t leave her alone. Not in a mall like this. He at least had the protection of looking sixteen. But creeps would go right to her if they saw she was alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure. Mommy said if I ever get lost to get an adult with kids. She said there the safest people to ask for help.”. Tommy thought over her words. He nodded as he looked around. Wilbur technically had children he was taking care of. Tommy and Tubbo.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked back at the girl with a plan already in his head. “My big brother said if something happens to head to the ice cream shop. We could wait there.” The girls eyes sparkled at the word ice cream.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She bounced in her spot before grabbing his hand. “Let’s go then!” She giggled as she dragged him down with how short she was. “I know where it is so you don’t have to worry.” She commented as they slowly made their way through the mall. Tommy looked up after a minute to see the shop in view.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s it!”. He pointed with his free hand. They quickly made their way inside. The girl let go of his hand and looked around. Tommy did too. Sadly Wilbur and Tubbo were nowhere in sight. “They're not here…”. He whined as they walked over to a table. The girl sat across from him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She pointed to the door and continued to smile. “You said they would come looking here. All we have to do is wait!”. She seemed very energetic for being lost. At least that’s what Tommy thought. “Oh my names Lilly! What’s yours?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked at her and smiled. He started to swing his legs back and forth under the table. “Tommy.” She just giggled which made him confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My cat is named Tommy.” He stared at her then started giggling himself. He was very childish right now, leave him alone. They talked back and forth for a bit. A sibling for Melvin long forgotten as they waited. It was like the universe was looking out for the both of them as three people walked into the ice cream shop. Which after scanning the area starred the two down. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Lilly!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Three voices yelled out as they all bolted forward. Tommy looked up from his very adult conversation with Lilly about what type of bug should be killed until there’s none left. Right now their both on mosquitoes. Those bastards deserve to burn in a volcano. “Mommy!” Lilly sprints up from there table and runs into the arms of a woman. Wilbur rushes over to him with Tubbo right behind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where the hell did you run off to! You gremlin.” Wilbur looked him over quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanted to get Melvin a friend!”. He said in his defence. He didn’t mean to get lost…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo looked at him questionably. His voice definitely wasn’t normal. It was his kid voice. Wilbur seemed to catch onto what was happening and lowered his voice. “That’s fine but you need to stay close to me alright?” Tommy just pouted. He was perfectly fine, until he got lost. But he wasn’t going to mention that. “What the hell were you doing with my daughter.” The woman now holding Lily spat with venom. She looked mad. Tommy shrunk back in his chair.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur stood up at his full height and faced the woman. Practically towering over her. “Don’t use that tone with us. Why was </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> daughter left alone?” He replied with just as much venom. Tubbo sat across Tommy still looking worried.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay big man?” Tommy frowned at that. He crossed his arms over his chest. Not at all paying attention to the two adults. Whose situation is getting bad as he hasn’t answered the woman yet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No! I couldn’t find Melvin a sibling. He needs a friend.” Tubbo chuckled awkwardly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean the plush Technoblade got you?” Tommy just nodded. Tubbo had his new bee. Which he had put on the table. So Tommy wanted one. Maybe not a bee but a plush.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t go accusing my brother of trying to take your daughter. They were literally sitting here for how long.” Wilbur cut through Tubbo’s and his conversation. He looked over at a fuming woman. Lilly looked uncomfortable.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked at Tommy then back to her mother. “But mama I was the one to drag him here. He’s lost. We’ve been waiting for help.” Tubbo sent him an understanding look. Tommy wasn’t doing anything bad. He was just helping. He was better then any creep who could have came along.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this true?” The woman looked past Wilbur to him. Tommy brightened up and nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep! I was lost and maybe a little sad...Anyways! Lilly came up and told me she was lost too so I said let’s go to the ice cream shop because that’s where I’m supposed to meet Wilby and Tubee if anything happens. So she dragged me here cuz I had no clue where it was. So that’s what happened!” Tommy felt proud of himself. He did the right thing. Right? He did good, Wilbur said to come here and he did. He did good! Tubbo hummed as he also listened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur turned his head and smiled. Then back to the woman smugly. “See. Now before you go blaming someone who actually helped your daughter out get all the facts. Now if you will let us, I’ll be taking my brothers around the mall for the rest of the day.” Wilbur turned fully to both Tommy and Tubbo. He took his hand and also Tubbo’s as he dragged them both out the store.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once a good bit away Wilbur slowed and let out a breath. “Tommy.” He started as he looked at him. Tommy felt weird, seeing how Wilbur was looking at him. A family-like look he’s never really felt. Like a big brothers. But it was different now. Not like before. Wilbur was serious. “I said we stick together on this trip. You blatantly disregarded what I said and left anyway. Do you know how scared me and Tubbo got when we realized you left the store?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But Wilby-“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not done Tommy.” Tubbo shifted in his spot beside the man. Not knowing what to do as his hand was still in Wilbur’s. “I’ve said this many times that if you feel small, tell me. I’m fine with you regressing. I've said this many times but doing it publicly is new to me. I’m not saying that’s your fault but I would think since we're all in public you would have told me. Tommy what you did was wrong. I need you to understand that. It was dangerous. You could’ve got hurt bubs.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy looked at the ground. He made Wilbur upset. And the look Tubbo was giving the both of them he probably scared Tubbo half to death to. “...sorry.” Wilbur took a big breath in and out before nodding.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay good.” Wilbur turned to look at Tubbo. “Uh I guess I should fill you in?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes please I’m so fucking confused.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone! My question last chapter was definitely a hint to today’s update. It’s just me being sneaky, haha. I got news! Have a Tumblr now. Don’t know what I’m going to do with it but I wanted a way to actually interact with the fandom. (My silent cry for human interaction) Oh and I have the rest of the fic somewhat planned out. Five characters to go! Then where done with this fic. 😭 I know so so sad. (I might add more if I need to make the ending better but no promises) </p>
<p>https://www.tumblr.com/blog/soullessfawn<br/>^<br/>My tumblr. If you have any idea on what you actually do with tumblr I would love to know because I have no clue. I was just going to write crap about my ideas and ruffs or something. No idea really.</p>
<p>Hope you liked this chapter. Oh and if you like SBI age regression fics you might like my four chapter story on Ranboo being a little. It’s a lot less angst then this one though. But there’s little Techno!<br/>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30854141/chapters/76174499    (It’s also just called Safe Space Playground)</p>
<p>Okay later!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There will be another chapter so stay tuned! This was supposed to be a one shot but I couldn’t help myself. It was supposed to be Tommy just trying to hide the fact that he’s a little from his friends. But my mind started to think of his home life. If his parents are supportive and what not. And now I have a fanfic plot...Not like I have anything else to do (school can shove it). So I’ll be writing!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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